Bijin To Yaju
by Cakedecorator
Summary: Literally meaning "Beauty And The Beast" - 21st Century Japan style! 16-year-old Bijin finds herself at the mercy of a monster when her author father gets caught up in his mansion. One of her classmate's romantic advances are no help and Bijin is forced to use her wit and virtues to help her get through her predicament... Is she the beast's prisoner, or his princess? Japanese names
1. The Curse, And The Beauty

**Welcome to the story of "Bijintoyaju" or in English, that would be "Beauty and the Beast". That's right! For all of you fellow Disney Animation fans out there, THIS is a Japanese version of the 1991 hit film, "Beauty and The Beast"! This is set in 21****st**** century Japan, in a town where the heroine is merely a high school student. All right, here are a few translations we need to cover before we get started, okay? This way, there won't be any confusion.**

**Yaju: Beast**

**Pretty self-explanatory, huh?**

**Kiwamete: Very**

**Bijin: Beauty/Beautiful**

**Okay, key words up top: Kiwamete Bijin is the name of our heroine! **

**Damasu: Fool – The boy this name will be given to will be our 'LeFou'**

**Sondaina: Arrogant**

**Okay, for those of you who have seen the movie, I'm pretty sure you know who the name "Sondaina" will fit…**

**If you said "Gaston", then you're SO RIGHT. You'll see who he is like in the story, but since this isn't an exact portrayal of the initial movie, songs and all, I'm sure you might see some differences… Hopefully.**

**Alright, you'll see how this is all going to play out in a second, but shall we get started?**

* * *

_Chapter 1: The Curse, and The Beauty_

_"Once upon a time, in a beautiful, majestic castle, surrounded by the beauty of nature, was a young prince. Although he had everything his heart desired, he was selfish, mean, and unkind…_

_On a cold snowy night, an old peddler woman came to the castle, seeking shelter, with only a lovely, red rose to compensate with._

_Disgusted by her wretched face, the prince sneered at the flower, and then turned her away._

_The woman warned him not to judge by appearances, for true beauty lies within…_

_However, turning her down once more, the woman shed her cloak to reveal a beautiful enchantress._

_Trying to plead forgiveness, the enchantress saw there was no love in the young prince's heart. So, as a way to help him learn his lesson, she cursed his castle. He was turned into a ferocious monster, while everyone in the castle was reverted to inanimate objects. _

_If the prince could learn to love another, and earn her love in return, he would change back._

_As for the rose, it was indeed enchanted. It would continue to bloom until his seventeenth year. As time went on, the poor monster lost hope; who could ever learn to love a beast?"_

"No one, that's who." A girl said, as she was reading a book in her classroom.

She was a pigtailed girl with black hair, brown eyes, lots of freckles and thick glasses.

"Anyone who thinks that someone could fall in love with a monster has to be stupid." She said.

"Now, Ayu, don't say that. You should know better than to judge a book by its cover." Another girl, just as strange looking, said.

She had her hair down, all disheveled, and she was also wearing glasses, and still had braces, too.

"The only thing stranger than this kind of thing happening in the real world…" Ayu said, but she was soon interrupted when the girls saw something out the classroom window.

There was another girl, with long, flowing, silky, black hair, gorgeous ocean-blue eyes, a firm, clear face with no blemishes, boils, zits, or scars, without makeup, and she was wearing the school uniform, but the way she wore it made her look more beautiful, and her body was more defined. Her skin was as fair and clear as snow, and she was pretty much a natural model. She was also holding a few manga; from the looks of the covers, they were mostly romance manga.

"Is _her_…" Ayu said.

"Kiwamete Bijin? Isn't she a 16-year-old second-year here at the school?" Ayu's friend said.

"Right," Ayu said. "She's the strangest girl. She's always found reading manga and almost never studies, but she is so smart that she always scores 100!"

Leaving the school building, the beautiful girl started walking home, looking around to see everyone else doing their usual thing.

_"Big city… It's a bustling town… Every day, like the one before… Big City, full of big people… waking up to say…" _The girl sang.

_"Konnichiwa!"_ One of the neighbors said.

_"Hi!" _The Butcher said.

_"Konnichiwa! Hi there! Hello!" _A woman, a shopkeeper, and a smoker said.

_"There goes the baker with his cart like always; the same old sweets and treats to sell. Every morning, just the same, since the morning that we came, to this up and coming town!" _The young girl sang, as she was watching the people do their usual thing.

_"Konnichiwa, Bijin!" _The baker said, showing off some of his favorite baked goods.

"Konnichiwa, sir!" Bijin said.

"Where are you off to?" The baker asked, offering Bijin a lovely cupcake that he made for her.

"Just the book shop to return some manga. I finished up this wonderful series about a girl who turns out to be an angel, but falls in love with a devil boy…" Bijin was about to explain.

"That's nice; enjoy the cupcake. MISAKI! The cookies! Hurry it up!" The baker said.

As Bijin shrugged, and ate her cupcake, she ran off to the bookstore to return the manga.

Two other, older women in a café were watching Bijin run off, and they sang, _"Look there she goes, that girl is strange, no question! Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?"_

Another woman was drinking tea, singing, _"Almost always alone."_

A man was decorating a cake, unintentionally putting it on his coworker, singing, _"Cause she's a dreamer, don'tcha know?"_

_"No denying she's a strange one, that Bijin." _A few more of the townsfolk said.

Bijin hitched a ride on a truck by grabbing onto one of the handles. The driver did not seem to mind at all; rather, he smiled and nodded.

_"Konnichiwa!" _He said.

_"Good day!" _Another woman replied.

_"How is your family?"_ The driver asked.

The clerk was eyeing a woman at a grocery store, and his wife bonked him on the head with her rolling pin.

_"Konnichiwa!" _The woman said.

_"Good day!" _The clerk said.

_"How is your wife?"_ The customer asked.

_"I need nine eggs!" _Another woman, scrambling for a large cartoon of eggs sang.

_"Way too expensive!" _Another man said, putting a box of chocolates back on the shelf, in disappointment.

As the truck drove by the store, and approached the book shop, Bijin sang, _"There MUST be more than this big city life!"_

Leaping off the truck, and waving goodbye to the driver, Bijin went inside and then the storekeeper smiled, seeing his best customer.

"Ah, Bijin!" He said.

"Konnichiwa! I'm back to return the manga series I borrowed." Bijin said.

"Done? It's only been three days!" He asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Oh, I had homework, but other than that, I couldn't put it down! Is there anything new?" Bijin asked, as she put the books down, and looked around in the shōjo-romance section of the manga aisle.

"Haha… Not since last week." The bookstore owner said.

"That's okay," Bijin said, as she climbed up onto the stool, and she looked around. "Aha! I'll take this series to borrow."

Looking at the cover, it was the series titled, _"Common Girl and Prestigious Boy"_

"This series? But I thought you didn't think it was worth reading as soon as you read what was on the back?" The bookstore owner said.

"Well, I guess after thinking it over, I decided to give it a shot!" Bijin said.

"Well, if you're so willing to take a chance, by all means, take it for yourself, free of charge." The bookstore owner said, as he wrapped the books up, and put them in Bijin's hand.

"Sir, I can't do that!" Bijin protested.

"Go on, I insist!" The owner said. "But don't forget that you're always welcome here."

"Oh, domo! Domo arigoto!" Bijin said, as she left the store, where three boys her age were watching.

The three boys then sang, _"Look there she goes, that girl is so peculiar! I wonder if she's feeling well?"_

_"With her head full of enigmas." _Some women said.

_"And her nose stuck in manga." _Some men said.

_"What a puzzle to us all is Bijin!" _They all sang.

Sitting on a bench, Bijin was reading her manga, and then she smiled, and blushed at one particular part.

_"Oh… Isn't this amazing? It's my favorite part, because… You'll see…" _Bijin sang, as she stood up, and spun around, as if she were a ballerina in a daze.

Looking at the opened book, she hugged it, and sang, _"Here's where she tells off her soon-to-be Prince Charming! But she couldn't care less about him, till chapter 13!"_

Walking by a beauty salon, a girl with glasses was trying to get a makeover, and she sang, _"Now it's no wonder that her name means 'beauty'. Her looks are so good, it's a sin!"_

The hair stylist, a male, then said, _"But behind that lovely face, she is certainly quite strange. Very different from all of us."_

_"She's nothing like all of us! Yes different from all of us is Bijin!"_ The townsfolk sang, as Bijin was walking home, while reading her manga.

Nearby, a target was soon shot by an arrow, and then a boy with glasses came up, and pulled the arrow out of the bull's eye.

"Wow, you didn't miss a shot, Sondaina! You're the best archer in the whole world!" The boy said.

"I know." The archer said.

He was a taller boy with a somewhat muscular build. He had black hair that was combed back and his eyes were emerald green. He was also a little bit on the tan side.

"No target alive stands a chance against you, dude! Haha, and no girl for that matter." Sondaina's companion said, nudging him.

"It's true, Damasu," Sondaina said, hugging his friend by the shoulder. He then gestured to the right with one of his arrows. "And I've got my eyes set on _her!_"

"Huh?! Kiwamete Bijin-san?!" Damasu said, seeing whom Sondaina was talking about.

Bijin was at a fruit stand, picking up some apples to take home with her.

"She's the one! The lucky girl who will be my steady date!" Sondaina said.

"But she's -" Damasu said, before being inadvertently shoved away by Sondaina.

"The most beautiful girl in the city." Sondaina said, as he pushed his hair back and looked at Bijin.

"I'm aware of that, but…" Damasu said, but was conked in the eye by the bow that Sondaina shoved at him.

"That makes her the best!" Sondaina said. "And don't I deserve the best?"

"Yes, yes, of course, but…" Damasu said.

_"Right from the moment when I met her, saw her… Her beauty struck something from within!" _Sondaina said, as he soon took out a compact mirror, and opened it up to look at him.

Bijin was walking right past them with her apples and manga, and Damasu was trying to alert his friend to the chance.

_"Here in the city there's only she, who is beautiful as me! So I'm making plans to woo and date Bijin." _Sondaina said, but soon noticed Bijin was about to get lost in the crowd, and gave chase, with Damasu following behind.

Three girls, all nearly identical, but not as beautiful as Bijin, were watching from the sidelines, and they sang, _"Look there he goes! Isn't he dreamy! Sondaina-sama! He's just so cute! Be still, my heart, I'm hardly breathing! He's such a tall, dark, strong, and handsome BRUTE!"_

The girls then fainted before Sondaina noticed Bijin in the crowd, as he saw the uniform for their school.

As the crowd was closing in the marketplace, Bijin was dodging as if the projectiles were nothing, and she was having a wonderful time doing it.

_"Konnichiwa!"_

_"Pardon!" _Sondaina said, as he tried getting through the crowd and catching up to Bijin.

_"Good day!" "Yes!" _

_"You call this bacon?" _A woman said, at a deli stand.

_"What lovely grapes!" _A woman at a fruit cart said.

_"Some cheese!" _A man said, at a cheese vendor.

_"Ten yards!" _A woman at a fabric shop said.

_"One pound!" _The customer asked the cheese vendor.

_"Excuse me!" _Sondaina said, but his way was blocked again.

_"I'll get the knife." _The cheese vendor said.

_"Please let me through!" _Sondaina said, managing to wiggle his way through.

_"This bread!" "Those fish!"_

Two customers at the grocery store said.

_"It's stale!" "They smell!"_

_"Miss is mistaken…"_

Bijin managed to get out of the crowd to hop onto a fountain, and as she looked up to the sky while keeping her manga open, she sang aloud, _"There MUST be more than this big city life!"_

_"Just watch, I'm going to make Bijin mine!" _Sondaina sang, in the middle of the crowd.

_"Look there she goes, the girl who's strange, but special! A most enigmatic young lady!"_

Sondaina took a shortcut, and started going around the crowd to cut Bijin off at the right place. Walking through the crowd, Bijin kept reading her manga, ignoring all of the bystanders, as she was heading for her house.

_"It's a pity and a sin! She doesn't quite fit in! But she truly is an enigma! A beauty, but an enigma! She really is an enigma! Bijin!"_

Bijin turned around to see everyone was minding their own business again.

_'I swear… These people sing about me…'_ Bijin thought, as she kept walking to head home.

Walking to her house, her face still in her manga, Sondaina came up in front of her, and said, "Konnichiwa, Bijin-chan."

Recognizing the voice, and not looking up from her manga, Bijin merely said, "Konnichiwa, Sondaina-kun."

Walking along, right past him, Sondaina then snatched the manga away.

"Sondaina-kun, that's so rude! I want that back, if you wouldn't mind." Bijin said, sternly.

Looking through it, he said, "How can you stand to read this? It's all romance and junk!"

"Well, excuse me for liking that sort of thing…" Bijin muttered.

As she grabbed for her manga, Sondaina threw it onto the ground, and he said, "Bijin-chan, it's time you got your head out of those manga and paid attention to more important things!"

Bijin grabbed for her book once again, only for Sondaina to hold it down with his foot. He used his hand to lift Bijin's chin up, and then he said to her, "Like _ore-sama_."

_'Conceited much? Only the arrogant use that kind of language! He thinks he's a big shot, huh?'_ Bijin thought, angrily.

"It's the talk of the city, Bijin-chan! A girl who spends her time reading manga all day has no future. She becomes all romantic and starts thinking she can live without a man." Sondaina said.

_'Most likely because we __can__!' _Bijin thought, getting annoyed.

The three girls who were admiring him earlier sighed dreamily.

"Give me back the book, Sondaina-kun. I mean it," Bijin said, as she forced Sondaina's foot off the manga, and grabbed for it before dusting it off. "I swear you're so vainglorious."

"Why thank you, Bijin-chan!" Sondaina said, snatching the manga away once more, and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "What do you say we head to the award hall and look at my archery awards?"

"Excuse me? I've got work to do at home; dad's waiting for me." Bijin said, getting out of his embrace.

"What's the matter with her?!" "She's crazy!" "He's a hottie!" The three girls said, sighing dreamily.

"Onegai, Sondaina-kun, I have to help my dad! I'll see you later." Bijin said, as she was about to leave.

Damasu then put the arrows and bow down, and then he said, "That crazy geezer needs all of the help he can get!"

Damasu and Sondaina then started laughing at the joke.

Bijin got angry, and shouted, "Stop talking trash about my dad!"

Correcting himself in order to win her favor, Sondaina bonked Damasu on the head, saying, "Yeah, stop talking trash about her dad!"

"My father is _not_ a head case! He's a genius!" Bijin shouted.

However, there was a large avalanche of paper wads coming out from the windows of Bijin's house in the distance. Rolling her eyes in worry, Bijin started running back to her house with Sondaina and Damasu laughing at her expense.

_'They think that my dad's a lunatic, huh? We'll show THEM!' _Bijin said.

* * *

Opening up the door to her house, Bijin was met with a room filled with paper wads, and a muffled shout in the center of it.

"Daddy, what's the problem? You okay in there?" Bijin inquired.

An older man, late forties to early fifties in terms of age, popped his head out of the pile of paper wads and clambered out.

"Oh, Bijin, welcome back. I'm fine; just another mishap with the writing… Oh, I'll never get this novel done!" Bijin's father said, throwing a paper wad out the window.

"That's something you say all the time; you're lacking confidence." Bijin told her dad.

"I mean it this time! Finishing this piece of trash is hopeless!" Bijin's father said.

"Nonsense, dad," Bijin protested, hugging her father. "You'll finish that novel and win the convention tomorrow! And you'll become an _award-winning author._"

This seemed to brighten up her father's spirits. Sitting back down, Bijin's father said, "Well, hurry up and bring me some pencils, girl!"

"You got it, dad!" Bijin said, as she grabbed a cup filled with pencils for her father, and put them down on his desk.

"So, how was school today?" Bijin's father inquired.

"It was just the normal stuff. I also stopped by the bookstore today, and I'm looking at a new manga series that the store owner gave me for free." Bijin said.

"Wonderful!" Bijin's father said.

"Um… Dad… You wouldn't happen to think I'm… Strange, would you?" Bijin asked, getting it out.

"My beloved daughter, my pride and joy, my flesh and blood, strange? Ha! I don't know WHERE you got that idea, but it's preposterous!" Bijin's father said, looking up from his work.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," Bijin said. "It's just that everyone in school thinks I'm weird for reading manga all of the time, never studying, but always scoring 100 on the tests and quizzes. There's also really no one for me to talk to in town, other than the bookstore owner and you."

"What about Sondaina-kun? He's taken a shine to you." Bijin's father said, as he went back to writing.

"Yeah, if by 'taken a shine', you mean being male-chauvinistic, rude, constantly trying to keep me away from my manga, _AND _calling you a head case, then yes. He's just so cocky and conceited; he's not for me, and I just don't see why other girls fawn over him like crazy." Bijin said.

"That's good," Bijin's father said. "I've always found the guy to be objectionable. And besides, once I win the convention, our income will be higher so we can live a better life together."

"I've always dreamed what life would be like outside the city…" Bijin muttered, looking out her window.

"Aha! Done! Help me pack the car, Bijin! I'm off to the convention!" Bijin's father said.

As he got into the car, Bijin was waving 'goodbye' to him before driving off. Bijin shouted, "I'll see you in a few days, Dad! Good luck!"

"Goodbye, Bijin! Take care of yourself while I'm gone!" Bijin's father said, as he drove off through the horizon.

* * *

**Good start, huh? So, we've learned that Bijin's father is an author rather than an inventor, she's a sixteen-year-old 11th grader, and a boy int he same grade has eyes for her, only she sees him as an arrogant person.**

**Next time...**

**Bijin: Next time, not only do I have to once again put up with Sondaina-kun's advances, I also have to save my father from being a prisoner to this monster before me! Then again, it beats being stuck in school with Sondaina-kun giving me grief...**


	2. Beauty Meets The Beast

**Here's the next chapter of "Bijin To Yaju", and here's a synopsis of this chapter: after Bijin is hit on by Sondaina again, she soon gets a message that her father is in trouble, and goes to the rescue, but is it worth the sacrifice she's to make?**

**Before we get into this chapter, here are a few more translations.**

**Kurokku: Literally 'clock'**

**Hikaru: Literally 'light'. This is a unisex name, but if meant specifically for a girl, the female-generic name is 'Hikari'**

**Nabe: Teapot**

**Chippu: Chip**

**Iie: No**

* * *

_Chapter 2: Beauty Meets The Beast!_

On his way to the convention, Bijin's father was stuck in the woods nearby; the clouds were closing in and getting darker with each minute. Looking at his GPS, he was getting off-track, but at the same time, the scene looked identical every time he drove one mile.

"I'm sure I should have been there by now… Maybe I missed a turn?" Bijin's father said.

However, his worries soon increased by one he could not control: the weather. There was a large flash of lightning, followed by a loud bang of thunder, and then rain started falling down like buckets.

"Oh, drat! Not rain! I can't stay here; I need some shelter." Bijin's father said, as he drove the car again. After about a mile or two, he came up upon a dark, dreary, ominous mansion that was barred off from by large gates.

However, the car ran out of gas, and there were a few sputtering noises before the car broke down, and to make matters worse, it was right in front of the gates.

"Oh, dang! Now what?" Bijin's father said, as he got out of the car, and opened up his umbrella.

He then decided that he needed to go into the mansion to get some shelter and get out of the rain. Running up to the door, he quietly opened it, and cautiously went inside.

"Hello? Is anyone in here?" Bijin's father said, talking aloud to anyone nearby in the seemingly abandoned mansion.

"He must have gotten caught up in the storm." A voice said, quiet enough to be unheard.

An antique clock, and a flashlight were on a desk nearby, and then another voice said, "Just be quiet; maybe he'll go away."

"I hope I'm not being a bother." Bijin's father said.

"Maybe…" The flashlight said, about to finish.

"Not one word." The clock said.

"I don't mean to intrude, but my car broke down and I need a place to stay for the night…" Bijin's father said, trying to find some shelter.

Although the clock looked at Bijin's father in criticism, the flashlight looked at him in pity, and told the clock, "Kurokku, have a heart."

Kurokku shushed the flashlight by covering the light bulb with his hands. However, the flashlight then turned it on, temporarily blinding Kurokku.

The flashlight then said, "Of course, sir, you're welcomed here!"

"Who said that?" Bijin's father said, as he picked up the flashlight, unaware that it was the flashlight that was talking.

"Over here." The flashlight said, causing Bijin's father to turn around and look in the direction where the voice came from.

"Where…?" Bijin's father said, in askance.

Using the head of himself, the flashlight alerted Bijin's father to his presence by bonking him on the head, before saying, "Konbonwa!"

"Gah!" Bijin's father said, as he fell on his rump, dropping the flashlight, causing him to shut his light off.

"Oh, NOW you've done it, Hikaru!" Kurokku said, as he hopped down from the desk. "Just peachy…"

"How is this? What the…" Bijin's father said, as he was at a loss for words.

"Cease your babbling." Kurokku said.

"Kurokku, where's your sense of hospitality?" Hikaru said. "Now, sir, come with us. We'll help you rest up."

"Thank you…" Bijin's father said, as he followed Kurokku and Hikari into another room.

However, none of them knew that there was another creature behind them; the shadow was shown, but all it did was move around and disappear soon.

After giving him a blanket and putting him in a chair, Hikaru was trying his best to help Bijin's father remain comfortable while Kurokku was protesting everything.

Then, a teacart ran in, and then a teapot asked him, "How about a spot of tea? I'm sure you'll warm up."

She then lowered her head to pour the tea into a cup with a chip in it.

Taking the cup up, Bijin's father smiled before sipping the tea, causing the teacup to giggle.

There was another clap of thunder outside, and everyone looked outside the window to see the weather only getting worse.

Bijin's father then looked downcast at the weather, as he soon had a lot on his mind.

"Oh, if only I didn't get caught in the rain; I would have been at the author's convention by now… And my poor daughter…" Bijin's father said, worried.

Kurokku and Hikaru perked up when he mentioned his daughter, and then Hikaru politely asked, "You have a daughter?"

"Yes. Her name is Bijin. Sixteen years old, full of imagination, virtues, and dreams. She's always dreamed of life out of her hometown, but now that this has happened, that's next to impossible…" Bijin's father said.

Kurokku and Hikaru made eye contact, with an indescribable emotion in their faces.

However, the twin doors opened up with a snap, causing all of the living inanimate objects to cower about.

"This isn't good…" The teacup said.

"What are you doing here? Who are you?" A menacing, almost feral, voice that sounded like an adolescent male, said.

Freaked out, Bijin's father looked at the large shadow, and was stammering, "I-I-I-I… I apologize for my intrusion."

"You're not welcome here!" The creature shouted.

"Master, please! He was caught in the rain and he was freezing!" Hikaru shouted, trying to defend the situation.

Roaring, and scaring everyone, Bijin's father was backing up and he was about to defend himself.

"What are you staring at?!" The creature demanded.

"Woah, who said I was staring?" Bijin's father bravely asked.

"So, you've come to stare at the _YAJU_, haven't you?" The monster growled, as it approached.

"Back it up," Bijin's father said. "I only needed a place to stay because my car broke down!"

"I'll give you a place to stay!" The monster shouted, as he grabbed at Bijin's father, causing the old man to scream.

Looking at their master as the monster left the room, everyone followed him to see him throw Bijin's father into the tower dungeon.

Slamming the gate shut, the monster stormed off in anger, not knowing his servants were watching the whole fiasco go down.

"There he goes again with that temper of his." The teapot, named Nabe-san, said.

"What are we going to do? We're running out of time, and he hasn't changed at all…" Kurokku complained.

Hikaru then got an idea; turning to his friends, he said, "Kurokku, remember what this old gentleman said? He has a daughter!"

Getting the hint, Kurokku said, "Oh, _I _get it, _now_!"

"We've got work to do!" The teapot said.

Leaving the room with smiles, albeit they were still frightened, they putting the plan into action.

Putting a letter on the seat of a bicycle, and looking out to the tire tracks on the road, Hikaru instructed the bike to follow those tracks and find the girl at the end of them.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Bijin's house, Sondaina and Damasu were nearby in the bushes, looking at Bijin's place.

"Haha! Bijin-san is going to be in for a big surprise, eh, Sondaina?" Damasu said laughing.

"She sure is," Sondaina said. "This is going to be the best day of her life."

Moving away from the bushes, and approaching a florist, and one of the chefs from his house, as well as a few people doing some minor decorations, Sondaina said, "Thank you all for coming to my first date with the lovely Bijin-chan. Now, I should go in there and… Ask the girl out."

Everyone quietly cheered for him as they were under the impression that Bijin would be thrilled to date Sondaina.

Turning to his friend, Sondaina said, "Now, when Bijin-chan and I come out the door…"

"Oh, right, I start up the music!" Damasu said, turning on an iHome that played 'So This Is Love' from Disney's Cinderella.

"Not now you dope!" Sondaina shouted, as he smacked Damasu on the back of the head.

"My mistake." Damasu said, sheepishly.

Meanwhile, Bijin was reading some more of her manga while eating an apple, and she was looking out the window from time to time, looking at the dark clouds that were approaching.

"It looks like it might rain today… Poor dad… I hope he didn't get caught up in the rain." Bijin said, as she swallowed some of her apple.

She then heard the doorbell ring, and then she said, "That's strange; almost no one except the mailmen come around this place."

Going to the door, she looked at the monitor outside to see Sondaina's face.

Cringing, Bijin then tried to lock the door, only for Sondaina to open it up and walk in uninvited.

"Sondaina-kun… What a _pleasant_ surprise…" Bijin muttered, as she backed away from Sondaina, who approached her.

"I know, I'm full of surprises today. Bijin-chan, I don't know a girl who wouldn't _love_ to be in your position, now." Sondaina said, after doing another check on his hair.

"Oh? And why is that?" Bijin asked, retreating back to her manga, and picking it up.

"Because your dreams are coming true today!" Sondaina said, approaching.

"What would _you _know about _my _dreams, Sondaina-kun? I've never told you about them." Bijin said. _'Mostly because I hate your conceited attitude that all of the girls fawn over while they're oblivious to your true character!'_

"I know plenty about them. I'll even tell you about mine," Sondaina said, smiling conceitedly. "A beautiful mansion, decorated in the most extravagant décor available; my latest archery trophy sitting on the trophy shelf."

Sitting on the couch and propping his feet up, he kicked off his shoes, causing the stench of his feet to waft around, causing Bijin to recoil in disgust while she covered her mouth and nose.

"My girlfriend serving us a nice snack of tea and cupcakes while the maids are running around, tending to my photographs. We'll have ten or twenty." Sondaina said.

_'Time to use my wit to get out of this.'_ Bijin thought, getting an idea.

"Maids?" Bijin said, feigning naiveté.

"No, silly girl, photographs of me!" Sondaina said, standing up, and moving in to Bijin.

"Imagine that…" Bijin said, as she tried moving away, while internally gagging.

"And do you know who that girlfriend, living in the mansion with me, as my future wife, will be?" Sondaina asked, as he cornered Bijin.

"Oh, I've got a good idea…" Bijin said, _NOT_ liking where this conversation was going.

"_YOU, _Bijin-chan." Sondaina said, as he held her face, and tilted it up.

Getting out of his grip, Bijin headed towards the door.

_'Good thing I took acting classes. Now to put them to the test.'_ Bijin thought, ready to get Sondaina out of her hair.

While feigning shock, Bijin said, "Sondaina-kun, I'm… Shocked! Utterly speechless… I'm clueless as to what I should say."

Cornering her at the door, Sondaina leaned in close, and then said, "Say you'll go out with me."

He then puckered up, leaning in close, while Bijin soon got her hand on the door handle. She soon said, "Take this statement however you want, but I've got four words for you."

"And those would be?" Sondaina said, as he caressed Bijin's face and leaned in to kiss her.

"**_THAT'S NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!_**" Bijin said directly, before opening the door, sending Sondaina flying out out.

Sondaina screamed a bit before falling about a meter or two forward, landing on his stomach, with his rear end up in the air.

Bijin then blew him a raspberry and deliberately hit him in the head by tossing his shoes out at him before slamming the door shut, and locking it so he could not get back in.

_'That ought to teach him not to be such a male-chauvinist!' _Bijin thought, with a vindicated smile on her face.

Damasu then dashed over, and then he asked, "How'd it go?"

Picking up his friend by the collar, Sondaina then angrily said, "I _WILL_ have Bijin-chan as my girlfriend! MAKE _NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT__!_"

He then stormed off while throwing Damasu aside, while brushing off the dust on himself.

Bijin then silently opened the door, muttering, "Is he gone?"

She then saw no one was around, and then as she left the house for a moment, she said aloud to no one, "I don't believe this… He asked me to go out with him! _ME!_ The girlfriend of that moronic, conceited…"

As she walked around the house, she falsely batted her eyelashes while singing, _"Sondaina's girlfriend! Can't you just __see it?!__"_

As she picked up one of the towels hanging on the laundry line, she wrapped it around like she was wearing a regal dress, singing, _"Sondaina's girlfriend. His future wife!"_

Throwing it down into the dirt, Bijin then sang, _"No chance! Not me! Out of the question! I want much more than this big city life!"_

She then ran behind the house, up to a hill behind it, and then she looked on to the beauty of the horizon, and started singing, _"I want adventures in the big, wide, somewhere! I want it MORE than I can tell…"_

Falling onto the grasses, risking staining her school uniform, she sang, _"And for once, it might be grand… To have someone… Understand… I want so much more than they've got planned…"_

However, her song number was interrupted by a few rings, and then out from behind the trees came… a bicycle. It had a letter attached to it, addressed to her, in Kanji.

"What the…?" Bijin muttered, as she saw the bike come right up to her.

Taking the letter, Bijin read it over, and then her beautiful, blue eyes widened in pure shock.

"Dad!" She shouted, and then hopped on to the bike. She put her foot to the pedal, only for the bike to start riding on its own.

"What? You can peddle by yourself?" Bijin said, in surprise.

Even though she got no answer, she decided to put faith in her instincts, which were telling her to trust the bike to take her to her father.

* * *

Coming upon the gates of the castle, Bijin saw her father's car, down and out. She grew concerned, which was visible in her face.

"What in the name of…" Bijin said, as she got off the bike, and then she ran into the gates.

"Dad…" Bijin said, in concern.

Meanwhile, Kurokku and Hikaru were pacing around; doubting the plan, Kurokku then said, "Oh, we couldn't keep our mouths shut. Just _had_ to invite him in! Serve him tea, let him sit in the master's chair, etc., etc…"

"Excuse me for trying to be hospitable!" Hikaru said.

"Dad?" Bijin said, as she entered the castle.

"Mama, there's a girl in the castle!" The chipped teacup, named Chippu, said.

"Chippu-kun, none of that nonsense out of you." Nabe-san said, as she put her son into the tub.

"There's a girl in the castle! An ojou-chan!" A feather duster said, in excitement.

"Irresponsible, doesn't care, makes up a ridiculous plan to get us out of this mess…" Kurokku said in scold, berating Hikaru for his actions.

"Dad? Are you here?" Bijin said, catching the clock and flashlight's attention.

Ducking down to hide, they were surprised with what they saw.

"Look!" Hikaru said, as Bijin passed through the hall, with a concerned look on her face.

"A girl?! But…" Kurokku said, in disbelief.

"I told you this would work! Now that she's here, she can break the spell, no doubt!" Hikaru said.

"But let's lead her to her father." Kurokku said.

Running ahead, trying not to get caught by Bijin, who kept calling out for her father, Hikaru and Kurokku then opened one of the doors, starting the route to the tower, where Bijin's father was.

Hearing the creak of the door, Bijin followed the noise, as she called out, "Is anyone in here? I'm looking for my dad."

As they kept opening doors, Kurokku and Hikaru were worried about what would happen, should their master find out.

As she made her way to the tower, Bijin was unaware she was in for the fright of her life.

"Hello? Is my father here?" Bijin asked out loud.

"Bijin?!" A voice said.

"Dad!" Bijin shouted, as she grabbed another flashlight and ran over to where the voice was.

Seeing it was her father, Bijin took his hand, and smiled in relief.

"Bijin, what are you doing here? How did you find me?" Bijin's father said, before coughing.

"Geez, your hands are colder than snow," Bijin said. "We've gotta get you out!"

"Bijin, please, you have to leave this place!" Bijin's father told her.

"First things first: who did this to you?" Bijin asked, determined.

"I can't explain! You have to leave; immediately!" Bijin's father told her, in warning.

"Out of the question!" Bijin shouted.

"What are _YOU_ doing here?!" A voice shouted, followed by a paw grabbing Bijin's shoulder, and thrusting her away, causing the flashlight to go out, as she landed, while Bijin's father shouted, "Bijin, RUN!"

Getting up, Bijin demanded, with anger in her face, "Alright, who's there?"

"I'm the master of this castle!" The same voice said, only showing his green eyes.

"I'll get right to the point, then: let my father go! He's ill!" Bijin demanded, not showing any fear. _'I don't care who or what this guy is! He can't keep my dad here!'_

"He shouldn't have trespassed here!" The beast shouted.

"You want me to let him stay here and die?! Fat chance of that happening! Please, free my father! I'll do anything!" Bijin retorted. _'Judging by the voice, whoever did this to dad must be at least my age… Or older.'_

"Impossible," The beast said. "He's my prisoner!"

"Hey, there has to be something I could…" Bijin said, but she then got an idea. "Hold on a second."

Yaju then looked back at her for a second.

_'I can't believe I'm doing this… Here goes nothing.' _Bijin thought. "How about a trade? You let my father go, and _I'll _take his place."

"What? You would take his place?" The beast asked, in surprise.

"No! Bijin, what are you doing?" Bijin's father said.

"Can I trust that you would agree to these terms?" Bijin asked, ignoring her father's warning.

"Yes… But… Your end of the bargain is to stay in this castle forever." The beast said, in return.

"No, Bijin, don't do it! What about school? What are we supposed to do about your education if you do this?" Bijin's father argued, his words falling upon deaf ears once again.

_'If I'm going to exile myself in here for the rest of my life, I might as well see exactly who I'll be at the mercy of.' _Bijin thought. "Could you come in to the light, please? If I'm going to stay here, I want to know the face of the person I'll be staying with."

Complying, the beast came in to the light to reveal a creature with green eyes, thick, black fur, horns of a mountain goat, the nose of a gazelle, boar tusks, large claws, and a long, skinny tail. He was only about a foot higher than Bijin herself, and was wearing torn clothing, with a magenta cape.

Bijin was in utter shock of this creature, but she held her tongue, looked back at her father with a sad look on her face, and looked down.

"Bijin, no, I can't… Rather, I WON'T let you do this!" Bijin's father said.

As a tear went down her face, Bijin told her father, "I have to."

Standing up, showing slight fear, as well as acceptance, she told the beast, "You have not only my word, but my solemn oath."

"Deal!" Yaju said, as he opened Bijin's father's cell.

Falling to her knees while holding on to her head, Bijin thought, _'What the heck?!'_

Rushing to his daughter, Bijin's father said, "No, Bijin, listen to me! I'm old! You have so much to live for!"

However, Yaju interrupted by pulling Bijin's father away from her.

"Hold on…" Bijin said, in worry.

"Bijin!" Her father shouted.

"WAIT!" Bijin shouted, as the door shut, and she then fell to the floor in tears.

"Spare my daughter, onegai!" Bijin's father shouted.

Throwing him in a limo, Yaju shouted, "Take him back to the city!"

The limo then started up as it drove away, with Bijin's father inside, as Yaju then went back into the mansion.

Watching her father being sent away, Bijin then collapsed on the windowsill and then she cried once more.

As Yaju was climbing back up the stairs, Hikaru said, "Young Master?"

"Nani?" Yaju snarled.

"Since she's going to be staying here for a while, why not put her in a room somewhere _other_ than the tower?" Hikaru suggested.

Snarling again, Yaju then continued on his way, with Hikaru muttered, "Maybe not…"

Bijin was crying in her position, but when Yaju's shadow overtook her, she looked up, with tears staining her face, and cried, "The _VERY LEAST_ you could have done was let me say my farewells to him! Now I'll never see him again! I didn't even say 'goodbye'…"

Yaju's face softened; he felt bad for Bijin. Trying to make sure he got off on the right foot with the poor girl, he said, "I'll… Show you to your room."

"I thought I was a prisoner." Bijin said.

Looking around, Yaju asked, "You actually _like_ it in the tower?"

Shaking her head, Bijin said, "Iie."

"Then follow me." The beast said.

Walking through the corridor, Yaju was using Hikaru to light the way to the room where Bijin was to sleep in.

Bijin herself was looking around at the décor of the room; the gargoyles, spooky statues, etc., but it was not the décor that scared her; it was her host, but she kept on a brave face, although a few tears escaped. However, she stuck close to Yaju, who looked at the floor, seeming to regret his actions.

"Don't just stand there, young master," Hikaru said. "Talk to her, at least nicely."

"Oh…" The beast said. "Um… With time, I'm sure you'll like it here."

Hikaru waved his light around to motion for Yaju to keep going.

"Since you're going to be staying here, it wouldn't be fair to not allow you anywhere outside your room. You have full access to the whole mansion." Yaju said.

_'At least I'm not confined to my room… This guy has a heart, at least; first not putting me in the tower, allowing me my own room, and then giving me access to the entire building? At least I won't get bored.' _Bijin thought, although she was still scared.

"But… There is ONE place that's off-limits: the south wing." Yaju said.

"The South wing? Why…" Bijin was about to ask, but…

_"JUST STAY OUT OF THERE!"_ Beast shouted.

_'No need to yell…'_ Bijin thought, freaked out by the sudden outburst.

As they soon approached her room, Yaju opened the door, and then he gently told Bijin, "Now, if you need anything, the servants will take care of it. As for education, we'll also handle that."

"Try inviting her to dinner." Hikaru whispered.

Not getting the message in the right way, Yaju shouted, "As my prisoner, you're required to join me for dinner! _THAT'S AN ORDER!_"

Slamming the door, Bijin, then fell on her bed, and started crying, as the weather went from thunder to snow.

_'What have I done…? Now I'll never be able to see my dad again!'_ Bijin thought, distraught with grief.

* * *

**Poor Bijin! How this will work out, who knows, but this isn't the end of it! **

**Bijin: Next time, as Sondaina plots a way to get my affection while dad tries to get me out of here, I find myself at odds with Yaju. However, after being fed thanks to a musical meal, I end up letting curiosity kill the cat! **


	3. Dine and Dash

**Alright, next item on the list for Bijin To Yaju is Bijin's first few interactions with Yaju, and the unpleasantly catchy "Gaston" song number. I can't believe I can't get that out of my head… **

**Oh, and a few more translations before we get started. Here:**

**Hai: Yes**

**Nani: What**

**Oji-san: old man**

**Hissha: Author**

**Abunai: Dangerous or watch out**

**Onegai: Please**

**Minna: Everyone**

**Pan: Bread**

**Subarashī!: Great!**

**Another thing I want to clarify before we get started. In the initial Disney Movie, Gaston and many others are drinking beer. Keep in mind that in the time period the movie is set, water wasn't exactly readily available, nor was it entirely safe, so alcohol was the main source of liquid for people. However, since the setting of THIS story is 21****st**** century Japan, I'm fixing this so that way everyone has kid-friendly beverages, such as juices. Hey, they're only in high school, and according to my research, the legal drinking age in Japan is 20. **

* * *

_Chapter Three: Dine and Dash!_

At a restaurant, Sondaina was upset about the rejection from Bijin, and was ranting about it.

"Who does Bijin-chan think she is?! Nobody tells Sondaina 'iie'!" Sondaina shouted, as his reserved seat.

Bringing two glasses of orange juice, Damasu said, "Darn right!"

"I don't believe this… Shot down! Blown off! Tossed away like moldy bread! This is more than I can handle!" Sondaina shouted, as he grabbed the two glasses of juice and threw them across the room in anger.

"Would you like more juice? Or something else?" Damasu asked.

"Why? It won't do any good." Sondaina said, as he slumped into his special chair in depression. "I'm tainted."

"Who, you? Never in a million years! Sondaina, you have to hang in there and show the world who's boss!" Damasu said, trying to cheer his friend up.

"_It really scares me to see you, Sondaina, looking so down in the dumps!" _Damasu sang, massaging his friend's shoulders.

Gesturing over to some of their other male classmates, who were cheering Sondaina on, Damasu then sang, _"Every boy in school wants to BE you, Sondaina, even when taking your lumps!"_

Sondaina had a vein throbbing in his forehead again and then turned around while he stood up.

"_There's no boy in school who's admired as you! You're everyone's favorite guy! Everyone's awed and inspired by you! And it's not very hard to see why!" _Damasu said, as he looked over to the archery awards Sondaina had.

The three girls who were fawning over him earlier then sighed dreamily, as one was about to faint, and another to swoon.

"_No one is… As quick as Sondaina, no one is as slick, as Sondaina, no one's neck is perfectly thick as Sondaina's!" _Damasu sang, as he then used his necktie to emphasize Sondaina's neck.

However, Sondaina gently took the tie off and calmly gave it back to Damasu.

Damasu continued singing, _"For there's no man in town half as manly, a perfect and pure paragon. You can ask any Akira, Hiro and Satoshi, and they'll tell you whose team they'd prefer to be on"_ this sung as he tousled the hair on their heads until they gathered him up and prepared to rough him up, him as they all sang, _"No one's thin as Sondaina; talking big like Sondaina; no one has a scar on his cheek like Sondaina!"_

_"Maybe so, but I'm nothing short of intimidating!"_ Sondaina sang while flexing one of his muscles while looking at himself in the shine of one of his trophies.

_"My, what a guy is Sondaina!"_ sang the boys as they clanked their glasses of juice together. _"Give five hoorah's and twelve hip-hips."_

_"Sondaina is the best and the rest is all Tourette's"_ Damasu continued, however, he also accidentally splashed Sondaina with his juice.

_"No one hits like Sondaina"_ the men sang as he slapped Damasu upside his head for splashing him; _"Douses his light like Sondaina; in a wrestling match, no one bites like Sondaina!"_ sang the men as Sondaina engaged them in a wrestling match.

_"There's no one as burly or brawny"_ sang the three girls until Sondaina lifted three gallons of juice in his hand, causing them to squeal in delight.

_"As you can see I've got muscles to spare."_ Gaston sang as he flexed one arm while holding the juice in his other.

_"Not a bit of him scraggly or scrawny"_ Damasu sang, before Sondaina set the juice down on top of him.

_"Just take a good look at my well-cared-for hair." _Sondaina sang, as he showed off the shine and health of his black hair.

_"No one skips like Sondaina" _the men sang while Sondaina was playing Japanese checkers with the waiter, _"Matches wits like Sondaina."_

Damasu continued, "In a spitting match nobody spits like Sondaina."

"_I really take no pleasure in expectorating, but…" _Sondaina sang, as his spine shivered.

"_10 Points for Sondaina!" _Everyone sang in delight.

_"When I was just a child, I ate four scrambled eggs every morning to help my strength get large, and though I'm still seventeen, I eat five scrambled eggs so my power is that of a barge!"_ Sondaina sang, as he lifted up six gallons of orange juice in one hand, and six in the other to emphasize his meaning.

_"No…one…shoots like Sondaina; settles disputes like Sondaina,"_ the men sang before Damasu sang, _"No one goes stomping around in boots like Sondaina."_

Jumping up to land firmly in his chair, Sondaina sang, _"I use gold in all of my decorating."_

_"My, what a guy… Sondaina!"_ sang the men as they lifted him up in the air cheering before dropping on top of Damasu.

Just then Bijin's father rushed in shouting, "Tasukete! We've got a problem!"

"Hissha-san?" asked one of the boys in surprise while Sondaina just looked at him as though he had snapped.

"Onegai… ONEGAI, I need your help!" begged Hissha as he ran up to the bar to shake a young boy in askance. "He's got her; he's got her locked in the dungeon!" Hissha said as he took hold of a boy at a table by his scarf.

"Who?" The man asked in confusion.

"Bijin; we must go now; not a minute to lose!" Hissha told the boys.

"Whoa, slow down, Hissha-san. Who's got Bijin-chan locked in a dungeon?" asked Sondaina in a placating manner.

"A yaju; a horrible, monstrous yaju" Hissha replied as he ran up to Sondaina.

The men all looked at each other and soon broke out laughing as they felt that Hissha had finally lost his mind

Hissha stared in disbelief at the men when one of the men came up behind him and asked, "Is it a big beast?"

"Only about foot taller than Bijin-chan" Hissha replied.

"With a long ugly snout?" Another of Sondaina's lackeys asked.

"Resembles that of a gazelle" Hissha answered.

"And sharp, cruel fangs?" inquired another.

"Both fangs _AND_ boar tusks! Onegai, will you help me?" Hissha asked in desperation as another man pushed him to the floor.

"Alright, oji-san, we'll help you out" Sondaina said jeeringly.

"You will? Oh domo, domo, domo!" Hissha said just before two more men approached and threw him out the door and into the freezing snow.

"Crazy old Hissha, he's always good for a laugh" noted one of the two men who had just thrown the man outside as they passed in front of Sondaina.

"Hold on a second…" Sondaina said. "I've got an idea!"

"_Such intelligence, I see!" _Damasu said.

"_That wacky old coot is Bijin-chan's father, and his mental health's only so-so. Since looking at the old man, my head has been working! See I promised myself I'd be dating, later engaged to Bijin-chan, and now I'm thinking of a plan!"_ Sondaina sang as he yanked Damasu to his side.

Sondaina then began whispering his idea into Damasu's ear, "…and then…" he whispered further when Sondaina finally said, "Now I get it!"

_"Let's go! No…one…plots like Sondaina; takes cheap shots like Sondaina,"_ the two men sang together before Damasu sang, _"likes to persecute crackpots like Sondaina."_

_"Oh his girlfriend, and engagement, we'll be celebrating, my, what a guy, Sondaina!"_ sang the people in the bar as the scene swept out into the cold, wintery air to look down upon poor Hissha as he was wandering around in the snow.

"Why isn't anyone going to help me?" Hissha asked aloud as the snow blew harder and drowned him out.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Bijin was still crying while laying her face on the bed. She felt alone, scared, and concerned, and all for good reasons.

'_Why did this happen…? It feels like only a minute ago that I was at home, reading my manga.' _Bijin thought, weeping.

There was a knock at the door, and then Bijin looked up with a sniffle, and said, "Who's there?!"

"Just me, Nabe-san, sweetie," A elderly lady's voice said. Bijin cautiously opened the door, only to be surprised by a teapot, a teacup, and two other dishes hopping. "I thought you might like some nice, hot cocoa rather than bitter tea."

"_EH?! A t-talking t-teapot?!_" Bijin hollered, in shock.

Backing up, Bijin bumped into a wardrobe, and then it woke up, saying, "Oh, abunai."

Bijin then fell on the bed, surprised by the talking objects, and then she said, "How… What the…?!"

"I know, it's strange," The wardrobe said. "But you'll get used to it."

"Didn't I tell you she was gorgeous, mom?" The teacup, Chippu, said.

"Now, Chippu-kun, that's enough." Nabe-san said, as she poured some cocoa into her son.

"Domo arigoto." Bijin said.

Hopping over to Bijin, albeit carefully, as to not spill the cocoa, Chippu allowed himself to be picked up by Bijin, who drank the cocoa out of him, albeit she was still a little wound up from the experience.

"I'm impressed with the amount of courage you had, child. Your will to save your father and your attitude towards the master is nothing like I've ever seen." Nabe-san said.

"Everyone in the castle thinks that way. It takes a lot of guts to stand up to the master like that." The wardrobe said.

"I appreciate the compliment, but now I'm stuck here, separated from my father, taken away from my school, shattered dreams… The whole shebang." Bijin said, sadly.

"Things will be okay, sweetie. Oh, listen to be blubber when I should be helping prepare dinner tonight." Nabe-san said, as she and Chippu left the room to get dinner ready.

After they left, the wardrobe said, "So, let's see what we should have you wear for tonight."

Opening up her door, the wardrobe then used her handles to extract a beautiful, pink dress, and then said, "You'll sweep the master off his feet with this one!"

"Woah, back it up! Who said I was going to dinner?" Bijin said, her hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised, and a suspicious look on her face.

"But you _have to_!" The wardrobe said.

As the door was opening, Bijin and the wardrobe then looked over to see Kurokku coming in. He then bowed, saying, "Dinner is served."

* * *

Downstairs, Yaju was pacing around on all fours, waiting for Bijin.

"I thought I told her to come down… What's taking her so long?!" Yaju shouted to Hikaru and Nabe-san.

"Would you cool it, young master?" Nabe-san said. "It's not her fault; she's trying to digest the fact that she's lost her father, freedom, and dreams in minutes! Cut her some slack."

"And besides, there's a possibility that she'll be the one to break the spell. Ever thought of that?" Hikaru said.

"_NATURALLY_! I'm no idiot…" Yaju shouted back.

"Perfect! All you need to do is fall for her, and then in turn, she'll fall for you, and then POOF, spell's broken! If we're lucky, we can send him back to school with the girl so he can interact with people his age by tomorrow." Hikaru said.

"Hikaru-san, you _KNOW_ it's not THAT simple. It takes more than a few minutes or a few hours for two people to fall in love." Nabe-san chastised.

"Time we don't have! The rose is already starting to decompose, and we need to play matchmaker, or else we're stuck like this!" Hikaru argued back.

"Oh, it's hopeless…" Yaju said, standing up on his legs again. "She has the face of an angel. A Goddess, even, and I'm… Well, you know."

"It seems as though you've never hear the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover', young master. The trick is to make sure she sees _beyond_ your appearance." Nabe-san.

"Easier said than done, I'm afraid," Yaju said. "For one thing, despite all of the training to be a proper gentleman prior to when the curse was inflicted, it all seems to escape me now…"

Nabe-san rolled her eyes and then said, "To start with, fix your posture!"

"You can't emit hostility in front of the girl," Hikaru said. "Try smiling when she comes in. Come on, at least try!"

Problem was, when Yaju smiled, all he showed was the threatening arsenal of sharp teeth and fangs he had in his mouth.

"Iie, iie, iie! You'll scare her to death with that!" Nabe-san said, causing Yaju to close his mouth.

"Try using your wit to please her; she seems like the smart type." Hikaru said.

"Just don't be harsh with her." Nabe-san interrupted.

"Be chivalrous and compliment her constantly." Hikaru said.

"Just be 100% honest." Nabe-san interrupted.

Yaju covered his ears; he was going through sensory overload with all of the right ways to handle Bijin being shot at him.

"But most importantly…" Hikaru said.

"_YOU __**MUST**__ NOT FLY OFF THE HANDLE!_" Nabe-san and Hikaru said together, in all seriousness.

However, the whole thing was interrupted when the door began to open.

"She's here!" Hikaru said.

Yaju looked up to see Bijin, only to be disappointed when Kurokku was the one at the door instead; nervously, Kurokku said, "Konbonwa."

Yaju clearly was upset not to see Bijin, and while trying his best to keep his temper under wraps, he asked, "Isn't she here?"

"Um… About the oujo-san, she's… Right now, she's trying to process… Considering the situation… She isn't coming down." Kurokku said, fully aware of what was to happen.

Just as Kurokku thought, he hollered, _**"NANI?!"**_

Bursting out the dining room door, Yaju then ran up the stairs, on all fours, in an angry rage.

"Young Master, stop this at once!" Hikaru shouted. "You shouldn't do anything rash!"

However, Yaju did not listen, and instead, he then climbed the railing of the stairs before leaping on to the second floor, with his servants taking the stairs and chasing after him.

He was about to bang on the door, when he soon stopped himself all of a sudden, and he took a deep breath before gently knocking, and then he calmly asked, "Are you okay in there? I thought I asked you to come eat dinner with me?"

"Asked me? More like _demanded_. And besides, how can I be hungry after all of this confusion?" Bijin replied from inside her room.

The servants were relieved that their master was making an effort to go about the situation like an adult, but the next thing that happened sort of put them off.

"Please come out," Yaju said, albeit he was getting angry. "Don't make me come in there!"

"Threatening me like that won't get you anywhere!" Bijin shot back, her tone of voice going from annoyed to miffed. _'Geez…'_

"I'm afraid she's right, young master," Hikaru said. "You're not going to win her over in that manner."

"At least _TRY_ remembering all of those lessons we gave you all those years ago." Kurokku begged.

"I'm trying, but she's being difficult." Yaju said.

"Be gentle. Chivalrous, too." Nabe-san said, trying to give him advice.

Yaju took a deep breath, and then he politely asked, "Will you come and have dinner with me?"

"Iie!" Bijin shouted back.

Yaju gestured to the door, as if saying, 'see what I mean?'

"Try being gentile, and then debonair, okay?" Kurokku said.

"I would be happy as a clam if you and I could share a meal together." Yaju said, obviously straining himself.

"Ahem?" Kurokku said, obviously hinting at something else.

"Onegai." Yaju said.

"Out of the question." Bijin said.

_**"STAYING IN THERE FOREVER WON'T DO YOU ANY GOOD! YOU KNOW THAT!"**_ Yaju hollered.

"Better than nothing." Bijin calmly said back.

"_**Then go ahead and become SKIN AND BONES! If she won't eat with me, then she won't eat, PERIOD!"**_ Yaju shouted, before dashing off to his room.

"Ugh… Could have gone _MUCH_ better." Nabe-san said.

"Hikaru, guard the door, and let us know if she comes out." Kurokku asked.

"Say no more." Hikaru said, as he started hopping back and forth, as if pacing, and standing guard.

"We'll go back down and clean up the mess." Kurokku said, as he and Nabe-san went downstairs.

* * *

Back in his room, Yaju flung the door open, and came in, while smacking a chair away. He then said, "I try being nice, but she says 'iie'! Nani do I have to do?! _**Grovel?!**_"

He then snatched a mirror up and then he demanded, "Show me the girl!"

After green sparks came up, the mirror showed Bijin, lying on her bed, in tears, and the wardrobe trying to console her.

"Sure, the master's face isn't exactly…" The wardrobe said, not sure how to put it.

"His face isn't the issue here," Bijin said. "First he locks up my father, causes me to leave my life behind just to save him, and NOW he has the nerve to TRY treating me nicely, as well as expecting me to eat with him?!"

Yaju then looked downcast, heartbroken at this information. However, his spirits were to be brightened up.

"Now, I'm sure he has a good reason for it…" The wardrobe said.

"I'm sure he does. I can see past that face, but I'm worried that he's just as much of a yaju _inside_ as he is _outside_. However, he DOES have a heart, that I can see." Bijin said, sitting up, and then she moved to the window.

Yaju sighed in relief at hearing this. Bijin at least could see past his appearance.

"He was at least kind enough not to confine me in here for all time, and allow me full access to the castle… Well, almost, and give me a nicer room than the tower dungeon…" Bijin said, as she sat on the windowsill and looked out the window to see the snow becoming harsher.

"But you should at least get to know him more." The wardrobe said.

"Get to know him?! No chance of that becoming real! How can I trust him after what he did to my dad? Not only will I never be able to graduate high school, but I'll also never see my dad again! How could yaju do this to me?!" Bijin said, as she then went back to the bed, and collapsed on it.

Yaju then put the mirror down, a tear escaping his eyes, and then he said, "What's the point? She won't see me as anything more than a yaju…"

As a petal of the enchanted rose fell off, Yaju then said, "There's no hope."

* * *

Meanwhile, Bijin was tired of being cooped up in her room, and decided to go and have a look around in her new 'home', so she would know her way around.

'_This is a scary place… But I'm sure I'll get used to it with time.' _Bijin thought, as she started moving around.

After Hikaru paced back, he saw Bijin looking around in awe, albeit she was a bit nervous about the attire.

"Oh, snap, she's come out of her room!" Hikaru said.

Bijin was then looking around as she walked through the castle

"Of all times for me to bust my propane trying to cook, no one wants to eat it!" A stove said, as he angrily clamped the lid on his pots.

"Stop griping, will you? You're not the only one who's had a long night." Nabe-san said, as she scolded the stove.

"The young girl was probably just being stubborn," Kurokku said, as he was helping put the dishes away. "After all, the young master knocked gently and then said 'onegai'."

"Regardless, he won't be able to get this blasted curse off us if he can't…" Nabe-san was about to argue back, only for Bijin to come in to the room.

"Oh, wonderful to see you out of your room, Oujo-sama!" Kurokku said. "I'm afraid I haven't introduced myself properly! I am Kurokku, of this house."

Bijin smiled as she crouched down, so as to be able to shake hands with Kurokku. However, Hikaru then barged in on them and took Bijin's hand instead.

Annoyed, Kurokku then said, "This is Hikaru."

"Konbonwa, love." Hikaru said, about to kiss Bijin's hand.

"Um, is there any way to make sure this feels more like home to you?" Kurokku asked.

Bijin's stomach growled pretty loudly; she then blushed in embarrassment.

"Should _NOT_ have turned down that dinner demand…" Bijin said, with a sheepish giggle.

"I guess that explains that! She's hungry! Minna, let's get to work!" Nabe-san said, in delight.

"Hold on! Remember what the young master warned us about!" Kurokku cautioned.

"Oh, screw the orders! Letting a young girl go hungry is NOT one of my principles." Nabe-san said, as silverware came out of their drawers.

"Alright, water and bread crust, and that…" Kurokku was about to say.

"Kurokku, where's your heart! She's a guest, not an inmate! Making her feel welcome is what's needed here!" Hikaru said.

"Either way, keep the noise down! If the master finds out, we're in for big trouble!" Kurokku said.

"Hai, hai, but we can't feed our guest without music, now can we?" Hikaru said, as he closed the dining room door.

"Music?!" Kurokku said, as he was flung into one of the dishes.

"Our lovely oujo-san! We welcome you tonight with the best pride and pleasure we can offer tonight! Now, pull up a chair, relax, as we proudly present… Dinner!" Hikaru said.

A chair then literally glided on the floor and scooped Bijin up into it, causing her to smile with pleasure of the event.

The serving domes them hopped onto the table and Bijin smiled with her mouth open in amazement of what was unfolding before her eyes.

"_Be… Our… Guest. Be our guest! Put our service to the test!"_ Hikaru sang, as the serving domes were marching.

Bijin took a napkin and put it in her lap, while shrugging at the chair, who tried tying it around her neck.

"_Tie your napkin 'round your neck, sweetie, and WE provide the rest."_ Hikaru said.

A large, tall pot then came, and a bowl and spoon came in, and then the pot opened its lid up and poured the soup in the bowl, to Bijin's delight.

"_Soup du jour, hot hors d'oeurves." _Hikaru said, lifting a serving dome. _"Why we only live to serve."_

Bijin took some of the grey condiment, and tasted it, while saying, "Delicious!"

"_Try the grey stuff; it's delicious. Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!"_ Lumeire said.

An old-fashioned, wooden cabinet opened up; plates and silverware started leaping out of the cabinet before forming something that looked like Tokyo Tower.

"_We can cook, clean and make pan! After all, oujo-san, this is Japan. And a lovely meal is never second best!_

Hikaru then handed Bijin a Japanese-style menu before singing, _"Go on, unfold your menu, take a glance, and then you'll be our guest. Hai, our guest! Be our guest!"_

Several plates came with several Japanese delicacies to serve to Bijin, who ate a little bit of everything.

"_Onigiri, taiyaki, chicken tempura, and sushi!" _Several dishes sang, and then Kurokku was up on the sushi plate, causing Bijin to jump back.

"_We'll prepare, and serve with flair, a musical of the food variety!" _Hikaru sang.

A lemonade bowl with spoons came up out of nowhere. The spoons then jumped into the drink by a certain number at a time, and they started to do something that resembled synchronized swimming.

"_You're alone, and you're scared, but the banquet's all prepared. No one's gloomy or complaining, while the flatware's entertaining!"_

Lemonade then started coming out as if it were a fountain and Hikaru was standing on a glass turned upside-down while dancing around.

"_We tell jokes, I throw pies, with my fellow flameless lights!"_ Hikaru sang, as he threw pies at Kurokku, who came out of the dish he was stuck in.

Some champagne glasses with lemonade in them came up and sang, _"And it's all in perfect taste that you can bet!"_

Hikaru then directed the glasses, who were doing something that looked like ballroom dancing and Bijin was having a wonderful time.

"_Come on and lift your glass, you've won your own free pass, to be our guest!"_

Kurokku had just gotten himself off the sushi platter and rushed to stop the musical number everyone was doing.

"_If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest!" _Hikaru sang.

"_Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!"_ Everyone sang.

Everyone on the table cleared out, except for Kurokku ended up in the middle of a blue spotlight.

"_Life is so unnerving, for a servant who's not serving." _Hikaru said, hugging Kurokku by the shoulder, with a downcast look on his face.

"_He's not whole without a soul to wait upon!" _Hikaru sang, only for Kurokku to push on his nose causing his light to turn off.

"_Ah, those good old days when we were useful… Suddenly, those good old days are gone…" _Hikaru said, as salt was falling from above on top of him and Kurokku.

"_Ten years, several ages, needing much more than battery changes. Exercise, chances to use our skills!"_ Hikaru said, and then deliberately shoved Kurokku.

The antique clock then found himself face-first into a gelatin dish. He was struggling to get out and shouting muffled screams.

"_Most days, we just lay around the castle…"_ Hikaru sang, sadly. _"Flabby, flat, and lazy; you walked in, and upsie-daisy!"_

He then pushed down on the spoon, shooting Kurokku across the table, and then laughing.

Nabe-san was hoping around in joy by the dish sink as she sang, _"It's a guest, it's a guest! Sakes alive, well I'll be blessed!"_

Individual-serving orange juice bottles then rolled passed her.

"_Juice's been poured, and thank the lord, I've had the table freshly set!"_ Nabe-san sang.

Forks, spoons, and knives then began dancing in a fast-paced waltz around Nabe-san, who smiled and danced a bit.

"_With dessert, she'll want cocoa, and I'm fine with it, don't you know!" _Nabe-san sang before dancing with the teacups. _"While the cups do their soft-shoeing, I'll be bubbling, I'll be boiling!"_

She then hopped onto a stove and then she started dancing a bit, but she noticed a smudge on her side in the shine of one of the other pots on the stove.

"_I'll get warm, piping hot. Good lord! Is that a spot? Clean that! We want the company impressed!"_ She sang.

Hopping on to the tea card after getting the spot cleaned off, Nabe-san sang,_ "We've got to help this oujo-san! Is it perfect, madam? For you, our guest!"_

Nabe-san poured Cocoa into Chippu-kun before Bijin took him up and sipped gently, causing her to blush and smile.

"_She's our guest!" _The chorus sang.

Vases with several hibiscus, cherry blossoms, and roses then came dancing around, throwing petals.

"_She's our guest!" _Nabe-san sang.

The vases then pinned a corsage made of a red rose and a sakura on to her uniform, causing her to smile and clap, letting her blue eyes twinkle and her lovely, black hair shine.

"_Be our guest, be our guest! Our command is your request!"_

Kurokku ran up on the table, trying to stop everyone from doing their performance, only to be smacked away by a feather duster, who was cleaning up the petals

"_It's been years since we've had anybody here, and we're obsessed!"_

Several chopsticks, soy sauce dishes, and rice bowls were dancing around in circles, making Bijin smile.

"_With your meal, with your ease, yes indeed, we aim to please!"_ The chorus sang.

Two plates crossed paths with each other to show several candles bowing down. The candles started rising up.

"_While the lamp light is still glowing, let's help you; we'll keep going!"_

Soon, Bijin looked across the table to see Hikaru standing on a chocolate roulade, standing on its ends, and he was wearing a cup for a hat.

"_Course by course! One by one! Till you shout, 'Enough! I'm done!'"_

Hikaru was dancing with several smaller dishes, atop some Japanese sweets, such as bean buns.

"_Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest!"_

Bijin smiled in delight, letting her eyes shine, as she saw the most beautiful thing ever: everyone was dancing on the chandelier, and her eyes took in the beauty of the sight. She was quite pleased.

"_Tonight you'll prop your feet up, but for now, let's eat up!"_

Bijin was dancing in her seat, and eating a few bean buns and cookies as the music just made her very happy.

"_Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest! Please, be our guest!"_ The finale of the song came about by reviewing everything in the number in split-second scene shifts and the juice bottles exploded, making something out of a firework presentation

"Subarashī!" Bijin said, clapping. "That was just fabulous! I've never seen such a fantastic performance!"

"Ah, thank you, oujo-san," Kurokku said, as he was praising everyone or their performance. "Oh, my goodness, look at the time; off to bed with you."

"Sleep? How can I get some sleep after seeing something as amazing as _that?_ No chance! It's my first time being in a mansion under some kind of enchantment." Bijin said, letting her romantic side get the better of her.

"Enchantment… Who said anything about the mansion being magical?" Kurokku sheepishly said, before turning on Hikaru. "You spilled it to her, didn't you?!"

The clock and flashlight then started fighting with each other, before Bijin interrupted, saying, "Hey, it's the 21st century, and I'm smarter than I look; I just put two and two together, silly."

The boys then let go of each other, and fell onto their rumps.

"I want to have a better look around; if I'm staying here, I might as well know the place inside and out. Is that okay?" Bijin requested, getting out of her chair.

"Want one of us to guide you?" Hikaru asked.

"Woah, hold on! Bad idea! We can't have her go in _certain places_." Kurokku said.

"Maybe _YOU_ would like to show me around," Bijin said, tapping Kurokku atop his head, albeit gently. "You seem to be the type who knows his way around."

"Why… I do!" Kurokku said, smiling, and blushing.

'_This place is beautiful. I think I might like it here better if a certain Yaju was a little nicer to me.' _Bijin thought, as she was following Hikaru and Kurokku down the halls.

* * *

Kurokku was going on and on about the history of the décor and origins of the whole mansion, and while Bijin was taking in the information, she was more focused on other things.

She soon spotted a staircase in the middle of the corridor, and then she got curious, before slightly rushing towards it.

"Now, if you pay attention to the paintings on the wall… Um, Oujo-san?" Kurokku said, before noticing Bijin was gone.

"Ack! Over there!" Hikaru shouted, before both he and Kurokku spotted Bijin about to climb the stairs.

They then dashed over to Bijin, and blocked her path, only to spark her curiosity further.

"What's being held up there?" Bijin asked.

"Oh, up there? Nothing, NOTHING at all! There's absolutely nothing of any absolute pleasantry up in the south wing." Kurokku said.

"Oh, so _THAT'S _the south wing? That off-limits area, right?" Bijin said, getting intrigued. _'I don't get what makes it so that way the area is forbidden.'_

"Good work." Hikaru said, sarcastically.

"There has to be _something _he's hiding in there." Bijin said, as she tried proceeding.

"Why would the young master do such a thing?! He's not hiding anything!" Kurokku insisted.

"Would it be off-limits otherwise?" Bijin said, as she was about to proceed upstairs.

"Maybe oujo-san would like to see something else? We have a wonderful cotton gin dating back to…" Kurokku said.

"Not interested." Bijin said, about to keep going.

"Maybe the gardens, or the library's manga section!" Hikaru said, stopping Bijin in her tracks.

She gasped with delight, and inquired, "You have a library with a manga section?!"

They say how pleased Bijin was with the idea, and then Kurokku said, "Yes, we do! With mountains of shoujo manga in the romance category! You seem like the type of girl into that thing."

"Oh, yes I am!" Bijin said.

As Kurokku and Hikaru led the way, Bijin was about to follow, but then she thought, _'This could be my chance to figure out what's in the south wing."_

Letting them have their fun, Bijin watched as Kurokku and Hikaru were heading off to the library. She honestly was interested in the library, but she wanted to see the south wing, too. Bijin climbed the stairs, and once she was at the top, Bijin saw that the hall was dark as night, and there were scary dragon statues, gargoyles, etc, and even a broken mirror in which her face was reflected in many shards of the glass, albeit she did not pay much attention to any of the reflections.

'_Not very well kept, is it? That Yaju must take his anger out by wrecking the furniture.' _Bijin thought.

She soon came to a pair of twin doors. Looking around, she put her hands on the knobs. Bijin then took a deep breath.

Opening the doors, Bijin saw a large room with chairs on their sides, broken glass on the floor, damaged paintings, torn fabric, etc.

'_Sheesh, this place is even worse than out in the corridor.'_ Bijin thought.

Bijin stumbled over a few broken pieces of wood, but then she soon noticed a torn painting. From what pieces of canvas she saw, it was a boy, at least five years old. As Bijin took up more of the torn parts of the canvas to put the piece back, she leaned in closer, noticing something about this particular boy that she found familiar.

'_Where have I seen those green eyes before?' _Bijin thought.

However, her attention was drawn when a pink-red light began shinning, and then Bijin turned around to see the enchanted rose, glowing. It was underneath a glass dome, sparkling and shinning, its red hues captivating Bijin's eyes.

"Wow…" Bijin whispered, as she slowly approached. _'If Yaju takes care of and treasures this rose so much, then he has to have SOME good in him, doesn't he?' _

Bijin gently took the dome off of the flower, being careful not to damage it. Although she noticed the strangeness of the fact it was floating in mid-air without a vase, she was too entranced by the rose. She was about to touch it gently, but…

A shadow was cast over her, and she got nervous at the sight of Yaju, who snorted at her.

Bijin then jumped back as Yaju came forward, and then gently put the dome back on the flower.

"I-I-Its nice to know that f-f-flower is precious t-t-t-to you." Bijin stammered.

Yaju merely turned back to Bijin, got on all fours, and then he demanded, "Why are you in an area that's off-limits?!"

"I… Offer no excuses, but I will say that I let my curious side get the best of me." Bijin said, as she backed up. _'This guy's temper is turning my blood into water…'_

"I thought I told you to stay out of here!" Yaju hollered.

"I was only trying to figure out the reason this was off-limits! I had no intention of doing any harm." Bijin defended herself, as she backed up even more.

Yaju then roared, "_Are you aware of the damage you could have caused? What could have become of me?!"_

"Onegai, stop! Stop this, onegai!" Bijin begged, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

_**"**__**GET OUT!**__**"**_ Yaju roared.

Bijin then fled the room, thinking, _'What was I thinking?!' _

Yaju roared once more, _**"GET OUT!"**_

Bijin ran out of the twin doors, tears in her eyes and her feet carrying her as fast as possible.

Yaju then realized what he had just done. Falling to his knees, and putting his hands to his head, he muttered, "What have I done?! I'll never break the spell, now!"

'_I should never have made that promise!' _Bijin thought, fear-stricken, as she fled downstairs.

"Have you seen the girl?" Kurokku asked.

"No, I thought you did." Hikaru said.

However, they were interrupted when they saw Bijin, freaked out, and crying, as she grabbed her winter coat.

"Where are you going?" Hikaru inquired.

"Promise my foot! I can't stay here anymore!" Bijin shouted, as she donned her winter coat and fled outside.

"Oh, wait, please wait!" Kurokku begged, but he was stopped by the sound of the door closing.

Bijin then found the emotional and physical strength to trudge through the snow without any problem.

'_Wait for me, minna… I'll be back soon!' _Bijin thought.

* * *

**Well, that's that for this chapter. Sorry I took so long, I had other things to do, too. Shall we move on?**

**Next time…**

**Bijin: I ****never**** should have made that promise with Yaju! He scares me to death and he's always angry! But if he really doesn't care about me, then why is he here, defending me? Meanwhile, we also have MORE trouble with Sondaina, who is working on his little scheme to win me over.**


	4. Saved By The Beast

**After fleeing the mansion, Bijin intends on returning back to her home, but when she runs into trouble, an unexpected someone comes to her rescue, and then the two of them open up to each other. But, will that be enough when neither of them know what's happening back in the city?**

**Just another translation or two before we get going, so here:**

**Ite: Ow, ouch, etc…**

**Isha: Doctor**

**Ikemen: Handsome man. This is a general term for any boy who has good-looking features. **

**However, this is **_**NOT**_** to be confused with "Bishounen", which literally means "Beautiful Boy", and this has a tendency to cross boundaries in terms of gender and sexuality. These words are two different things.**

* * *

_Saved By The Beast!_

Trudging through the snow without looking back, Bijin shielded her face from the blizzard's intensity and kept going, not even faltering a bit.

'_I HAVE to get back home! I can't stay in the mansion with Yaju!' _Bijin thought, determined to leave the incident behind.

However, she heard howling from a distance, and Bijin became paranoid that it was Yaju, but after darting around, another gust of snow-filled wind blew at her, and then when it was over, she was soon cornered by wolves; a large pack of them, more accurately.

"G… G… GYAHH!" Bijin shouted, as she was about to flee from them.

However, the wolves gave chase. Bijin, who was swift-footed, managed to outmaneuver them a few times, but she soon tripped on a tree root that was sticking out, and was soon being cornered by the wolves. She then became scared to the point where she grabbed up a large, dead tree branch, and then she held it close to her, ready to defend herself.

As she began swiping at the wolves who lunged at her, causing them to run back a bit and then charge at her again.

'_Iie… I have to handle this on my own. Handle this, survive, and get home! I highly doubt Yaju would come to save me.' _Bijin thought, as she became determined to defend herself from the wolves.

However, one wolf, knocked her down, causing her to lose her weapon, and shouted, "IIE!"

One of the wolves then stepped on her, about to bite, causing Bijin to scream, when a large, black paw swiped away at the wolf.

It turned out to be none other than Yaju, who was then roaring at the wolves. They were then attacking him as he kept swiping away, but he was bitten and tackled a few times.

Bijin's face turned red from the cold, but was touched that Yaju was even there for her.

'_Yaju… Why is he even here? I thought he hated me…' _Bijin thought.

However, Yaju was then bitten by another one of the wolves, but as he roared, he also threw one of the wolves off of him and then the rest of the pack fled in fright.

Yaju then fell into the snow; he looked at Bijin with an indescribable emotion in his eyes that only he knew: relief.

He collapsed once more, fearing Bijin would ditch him. Bijin, however, would have none of that, and she then used her winter coat to cover him. She then lugged him all the way back to the mansion, as she knew she owed him for playing hero and saving her.

* * *

In the mansion, Bijin took out a first aid kit and took out some disinfectant liquid, a few cotton balls, some gauze, and a few bandages. The servants were hiding, afraid of Yaju throwing another temper tantrum when the pain from the disinfectant hit the wound.

Yaju was groaning in pain from the wounds, and Bijin approached him, with a cotton ball dipped in antiseptic in a pair of tweezers. Yaju was about to lick his wound when Bijin wiggled her winger at him, and said, "Don't do that."

Trying to stop him from licking his wound, Bijin put the antiseptic on by accident, and then Yaju roared in pain, shouting, _**"ITE!"**_

The servants jumped back in fright, before Yaju hollered in Bijin's face, _"That hurts!"_

"It will hurt _more_ if you don't hold still!" Bijin scolded in return.

"I wouldn't have been injured if you didn't flee the mansion!" Yaju said.

"I would have stayed if you had just _explained_ to me _WHY_ I wasn't allowed in the south wing instead of scaring me half to death!" Bijin shot back in scorn, as she prepared some gauze and bandages for Yaju.

Yaju was at a loss for words at the moment, as she brought up two good points but then he said, "You shouldn't have even _BEEN_ in the south wing."

"Well, _YOU_ should learn that flying off the handle like that is no way to make friends!" Bijin said.

Yaju then shut up, as Bijin then told him, "This is going to sting a bit, so hold still."

Yaju nodded, and then he winced at the antiseptic hit the wound.

"However, I will say this," Bijin said. "I'm forever grateful for you being there for me when those wolves attacked. If you didn't care, you wouldn't have come. So… Thank you."

Yaju was touched that she even brought that up; he assumed she would still be afraid of him.

"It's no problem," Yaju said. "I'm just glad you're safe."

Bijin smiled a bit, and then her blue eyes sparkled with happiness.

* * *

As the scene transitioned to the restaurant, Sondaina and Damasu met up with the mental-health doctor in privacy as the aged man said, "I don't usually leave the hospital this late at night, but Sondaina-kun, you said it would be worthwhile."

A wad of yen bills was then passed to the doctor, and then Isha said, "Okay…"

"Here's the deal: I'm dead-set on dating, later marrying Bijin-chan, but she just needs some… Convincing." Sondaina said.

"Shot him down FLAT." Damasu said, only for Sondaina to elbow him in the side, causing Damasu to spill his juice all over himself.

"Face it: her father is insane. He was in here tonight, ranting about something about a yaju in a castle having Bijin-chan locked up." Sondaina explained.

"No, I've tested him about three times, and he's definitely _NOT_ nuts. He's harmless." Isha replied.

"Point being, Bijin-chan is the kind of girl who would go to any means to keep her father out of any mental health institute." Sondaina explained.

"Even become _his_ girlfriend." Damasu said, only for him to duck as Sondaina glared at him.

"So, this is blackmail to get her to go out with you… Just my kind of deal. I'll help." Isha said.

Then scene then switched to Bijin's house. Hissha was taking a few weapons, a first aid kit, and anything else he could find, before saying, "I'll find and rescue Bijin myself! Since no one is going to help, I'm going to go to whatever lengths necessary to find that mansion, defeat that yaju, and get my daughter back!"

Hissha then left into the foggy night to find Bijin; just a few seconds later, the hospital wagon pulled up in to the driveway. Sondaina noticed it was abandoned, as the lights were off, and then he shouted, "Hissha-san, Bijin-chan?"

"Not home, I guess. Oh, well, better call it quits." Damasu said.

"Oh, no! They _need_ to be back sometime! When they do, we'll be ready for them." Sondaina said. He then shoved Damasu into the snow, shouting, "Stand guard and tell us when they come back. Don't even _think_ about moving a muscle."

"Crap…" Damasu complained.

* * *

Back at the mansion, Yaju was watching as Bijin was playing in the snow in the courtyard, some of the other magical objects playing with her, as she laughed. Bijin's silky, black hair was being covered by snow, but she did not mind, as her blue eyes shined with happiness.

'_She's… a lot happier than she was when she first came here. I've never seen her so happy… It makes me happy, too, but…' _Yaju thought. "I've never felt like this before…"

Hikaru and Kurokku then noticed their master's demeanor, and they looked at each other, with smiles.

"Master, is there something on your mind?" Hikaru asked.

"I want to do something for her! But… Question is, what?" Yaju asked.

"Well, you can try flowers, chocolates, making promises you can't keep…" Kurokku suggested.

Yaju and Hikaru then sweat dropped at this, and Hikaru got an idea; he said, "Remember when we brought up the library?"

"Oh, I see where you're going with this…" Kurokku said.

The scene then switched to Yaju in front of two large, twin doors, with Bijin next to him.

"I have something to show you," Yaju said. "But you'll need to close your eyes."

"Why's that?" Bijin asked.

"It's a surprise." Yaju replied.

Bijin then closed her eyes; Yaju waved his clawed paw in front of her face to make sure she would not open her eyes. Since his hope was confirmed, he smiled, and then he opened the doors to the room. He gently led her inside the room.

"May I open them, now?" Bijin asked.

"Iie, not now." Yaju said, as he then opened up the curtains turned on a light switch inside.

"How about now?" Bijin asked.

"Yes!" Yaju said.

Opening her eyes, Bijin saw a room filled wall to wall, floor to ceiling with manga and other books. Pieces by many famous authors, some of which were her fathers' works, and there was a section specifically for manga, particularly shoujo-romance genre. Bijin's blue eyes then watered up with tears of joy.

"Words can't explain it… But I've never seen so many manga and books in one place before." Bijin said, looking around.

"You like it?" Yaju said. _'I really hope she does. This HAS to work!'_

"Subarashī! I just love it!" Bijin said.

"Then it's yours. Full access!" Yaju said, as he approached Bijin.

Bijin then started crying tears of joy; seeing this, Yaju started to panic, and asked, "A-Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! I'm just so happy! No one has ever understood my love for manga and reading!" Bijin said, before she leaped on to Yaju, and gave him a big hug.

Yaju went red in the face, and then he gently hugged back; he retracted his claws first, to make sure he would not hurt her.

Watching from outside, Hikaru and the others were pleased at the result of this plan.

"Oh, would you look at _that_?" Nabe-san said, pleased.

She and the other servants were outside the door to the library.

"Perfect! I knew this would work!" Hikaru said.

"What worked?" Chippu asked.

"It's something a child should not be concerned about." Kurokku said.

"What is? I didn't see anything!" Chippu said, indignant.

"Never mind that now; we've got work to do in the kitchen." Nabe-san said, as the others closed the doors to leave Bijin and Yaju alone so as to clean the kitchen.

Bijin and Yaju were then sharing a meal in the dinning room for the first time. Bijin was eating out of her bowl with a spoon, but when she looked up, her eyes turned to specks and she sweat dropped. She saw Yaju eating out of the bowl like a dog; when he looked up, he had his cheeks filled with food and all over his face.

Bijin winced a bit, almost losing her appetite, and then she looked away, her blue eyes showing a bit of nervousness.

Nabe-san then gestured to the spoon. Yaju then picked it up, and started trying to dribble the food in his mouth. Bijin mentally face-palmed herself, and then she put the bowl down, lifted it up, and smiled.

Yaju followed suit, and then they toasted a bit before sipping out of their bowls.

* * *

As soon as they were done eating, Bijin and Yaju were out in the snow-covered courtyard, wearing their winter clothes, and Bijin was smiling at Yaju. A few birds flew to the ground. Bijin put some birdseed in Yaju's paws; he bent down, and offered the seeds to the birds, as he soon held still.

Bijin smiled, as she sang in her mind, _"There's something sweet and very kind. But he was mean, and he was coarse, and unrefined!"_

Yaju offered the seed, and then the birds flew off. Approaching them again to offer the seed, and then the birds flying off again, Bijin made a light giggle, and then she gave Yaju a bit more seed while sprinkling a bit on the ground for the birds to get at.

"_But now he's dear, so I'm unsure… As to why I didn't see it there before."_ Bijin sang, in her mind, as she soon hugged Yaju.

A bird flew to her hand, and Bijin stood up, as she smiled a bit as the birds flew around her like angels.

Looking at her with his eyes, Yaju mentally sang, _"She looked this way… I thought I saw… And when we touched, she didn't shudder at my claws. No, it can't be… I'll just ignore… But then, she's never looked at me that way before."_

Yaju looked at Bijin, who smiled at him before going behind a tree. As she soon looked worried in her eyes, she took her hood down, and then she pushed some stray bangs back with a smile.

"_New… And a bit alarming… Who'd have ever thought that this could be?" _

Looking back at Yaju, who had birds all over him, she secretly threw a snowball at him, casing him to falter a bit, and then he flashed a smile at Bijin, who giggled a bit before running back behind the tree.

"_True… He's FAR from prince charming, but there's something in him that I missed, and I did not see." _

As Hikaru, Nabe-san, and Kurokku were watching them from up above, they got into their own little song number themselves.

"_Well, who'd have thought?" _Hikaru sang.

"_Bless my soul!" _Nabe-san sang.

"_Well, who'd have known?" _Kurokku sang.

"_Who indeed?" _Nabe-san sang.

"_And who'd have guessed they'd become close on their own!" _Hikaru sang.

"_So enigmatic!" _Nabe-san sang.

"_We'll wait and see… A few days more… There may be something there that wasn't there before!"_ The trio sang.

Bijin read a manga in front of the fireplace to Yaju, who had her snuggle up against him, after putting her coat away.

"_You know, perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before…" _Kurokku said.

"Nani?" Chippu asked.

"_There may be something there that wasn't there before." _Nabe-san sang.

"NANI's there, mama?" Chippu asked.

"It's something for people around Bijin's age." Nabe-san said, as the group closed the doors to leave the couple alone.

* * *

Kurokku had gathered the rest of the servants up later that night, about to formulate a plan to speed the love along. The idea was that the sooner Bijin and Yaju fell in love, the sooner the curse would be broken.

"Okay, minna, we all know why we're here! We only have twelve hours to create the most romantic atmosphere known to yaju or man!" Kurokku said.

However, he only got crickets.

"Ugh… Do I _have_ to remind you…" Kurokku said, as he presented the enchanted rose. "That if the last petal on this rose falls, the spell will be permanent?!"

Everyone started murmuring about the issue, and they all knew one thing for certain: they wanted the curse off, and fast.

"Alright, everyone, you all know your assignments. Half of you to the south wing, the other half to the north, and the rest of you are coming with me." Kurokku said.

Everyone then split up, leaving Kurokku and the others alone.

"Kurokku, can't you let love happen on its own?" Hikaru inquired.

"Yes," Nabe-san said. "Obviously, there's some passion between them already."

"No harm in speeding things up, is there?" Kurokku said.

"I guess not, as long as we don't meddle around _too much_." Nabe-san said.

"Yes, and remember: we _need_ to make sure they fall in love _TONIGHT_ if we're ever going to be humans once again!" Kurokku declared.

"Humans again…" Hikaru said, his light shinning happily as he sighed contentedly.

"Human again…" Nabe-san repeated, just as happy.

"And you all know what that means!" Hikaru said, happily.

"_I'll be cooking again, be an ikemen again! With a oujo-sama on each arm!" _Hikaru sang, as he two out two random, female flashlights, and then used his 'arms' to hug them from the sides.

"_When I'm human again, Only human again… Poised and gleaming with charm."_

Looking into the glare of Kurokku, Hikaru double-checked his appearance.

He then dipped one of the girl flashlights down, and sang, "_I'll be courting again. Chic and sporting again!"_

"_It's going to cause several boys' alarm!"_ Nabe-san sang, with a wink.

"_I'll hop down off the shelf, and toute suite be myself!" _Hikaru said, as he spun around, and then he picked Nabe-san up.

The two then sang, _"I can't wait to be human again!"_

In Bijin's room, everyone was cleaning the room, while a few of the brooms were dancing and singing, _"When we're human again, only human again! When we're appliances and tools no more! When we're human again, only human again…"_

The wardrobe then started spinning, and she sang, _"Ah, dearie, won't it all be top-drawer?"_

She put some makeup on, and then she sang, _"I'll try on some makeup and hues, and I won't be so huge! Heck, I can walk through that door no sweat! I'll wear saivor-fare, I'll wear gowns, I'll have hair! It's my dream to be human again!"_

Back outside the garage, Nabe-san and Kurokku were cleaning up the area.

"_When we're human again, only human again, when this crazy world once more makes sense!"_

However, Kurokku was inadvertently knocked into a water bucket.

Rising out, with Hikaru outside the bucket, Kurokku said, _"I'll unwind for a change…"_

Helping Kurokku out, Hikaru sang, _"Seriously? That's gonna be strange."_

Kurokku emptied the water out as he sang, _"It's not my fault! The suspense is making me tense!"_

He then sang, while fantasizing, _"In a house by the sea, I'll be drinking oolong tea! Let my early retirement commence!"_

He then shut Hikaru's light off, and unknowingly bought himself a ticket to getting pushed back in the water.

He sang, _"Far from fools with batteries and lights! I'll find work during the nights, and refrain from FIIIGHTS!"_

He was then soaking wet once more after being pushed in the water by Hikaru, who laughed.

"_When I'm human again… So clean dust off the floor! Let's let some light in the room! I can feel, I can tell, someone might break the spell! Any day now!"_

Several brooms were in the room, sweeping the floor, and carrying towels everywhere. The torn curtains were taken down, a tall candlestick was looking at itself in the mirror, then it started cleaning the mirror.

"_Shine up the brass on the door! Start up the household vacuums!"_

More brooms were cleaning up the floor while the dog gave a cloth to the chair, and he used it to clean one of the doorknobs until it sparkled. And then several vacuum cleaners were running around the room, cleaning up all dust and dirt around.

"_If all goes as planned, our time may be at hand! Any day now!"_

Many taller servants were using handheld vacuum cleaners to get the cobwebs off of pretty much everything, while in another room, a chair was raising a mirror onto the wall, while there was a carpet being laid out, chairs were making a bed, and the brooms were cleaning the room.

"_Open the shutters and let in some air."_

All of a sudden, a window or two were opened up and then some air was let in.

"_Put the pillows here, and put the blankets over there!"_ Nabe-san sang, directing the clean up.

"_Sweep up all those years of sadness and tears, and throw them away!" _Several dustpans then dumped their contents outside onto poor Kurokku, who was directing some snow blowers outside.

"_When we're human again, only human again, when that girl finally sets us all free! Cheeks a-blooming again, we're assuming again. We'll resume our long lost joie de vie!"_

The shovels then started shoveling him away, and a window to another part of the castle was revealed. Inside, MORE brooms were dancing and sweeping up the floor at the same time.

"_We'll be playing again, Holiday' again, and we're praying it's A-S-A-P! When we cast off this pall and we'll stand straight, we'll walk tall! When we're finally human again!"_

Several other household objects were cleaning everything. Candlesticks were dusting old paintings; perfume bottles were spraying their contents out to act like air fresheners, and so much more.

Meanwhile, Bijin and Yaju were in the library, with Bijin reading to him; she was reading 'Romeo and Juliet' a literary classic that was one of her favorites.

"'_For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo'_…" Bijin said, as she closed the book, and shed a few tears.

"Tear-jerking, isn't it?" Bijin inquired to Yaju.

"It is, but it's a true masterpiece." Yaju said, although he was no crying.

Brightening up, Bijin said, "I agree! There is no greater author, playwright, and poet of more genius than Shakespeare!"

"So, I'll get out 'Much Ado About Nothing'." Bijin said, as she took out the next one.

"Um… Could you read it to me?" Yaju asked.

"I've already read to you three times. You should read to _me_ this time around." Bijin said, with a light chuckle.

She handed the book to Yaju, and then he tried looking through it, only to stumble on his words, and then he admitted, "I can't."

"You never learned?" Bijin asked.

"I learned… But… It's just been such a long time." Yaju replied, giving Bijin the book back.

"How long _exactly_?" Bijin asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Ten years or so." Yaju said.

Bijin fell on her side, anime-style, and then as she stood back up, she said, "Well, looks like you're going to have to relearn that skill, and I'll help."

Sitting down, and reading, Bijin taught Yaju how to read again; neither of them knew that outside, the entire estate was being cleaned.

"_We'll be dancing again! We'll be twirling again! We'll be whirling around with such ease! When we're human again, only human again, we'll be waltzing those old one-two-threes! We'll be floating again, we'll be gliding again, stepping, striding as fine as you please! Like a real human does, I'll be all that I was! On that glorious morn when we're finally reborn and we're all of us human again!"_

Outside, flowers were being planted, grass was being trimmed, fountains were spouting, and the garden was overall, perfect. Everyone was dancing around the fountain, only for the dresser to come out of the window wearing something that looked like a bathing suit, and then she dove into the water, causing everyone to run, and then she splashed.

* * *

**AND CUT! We're going to end the chapter there for the time being. We'll see what happens next time.**

**Bijin: Next time, I have a wonderful evening with Yaju, but the happy times have to come to and end when my father is in trouble! I can't stay in this place when my dad could perish! And why is the Mental Hospital owner here at my house when he **_**KNOWS**_** my father isn't insane?! **


	5. Dance, Departure, Declaration

**Bijin is about to have the night of her life with Yaju. Not only does she learn his real name, she ends up realizing her father needs her, and has to leave and save him. Worse still, this could lead to Yaju being unable to break the spell! Meanwhile, Bijin finds out that Sondaina has been plotting to win her over through blackmail. After proving her father innocent, she unintentionally starts an angry mob going after Yaju! Can she stop them in time, save Yaju, and break the spell all in a matter of mere minutes?**

**Oh, and a few more translations before we get back to our story. **

**Bijin To Yaju: It's literally what the title is, which in Japanese, is literally "Beauty And The Beast". Yeah, it's in the summary.**

**Bijin no ore-sama: Bijin's mine!**

**Ore-sama: For those of you who have read the first chapter, you probably already picked up on the use of this. This is an arrogant use of the male personal pronoun 'ore', which is literally 'I', 'Me', 'My', etc., used by boys or men. The other male personal pronoun for this is 'Boku', but this one is a more formal term while 'ore' is more masculine. **

**As for '-sama', this is an honorific that usually is used when referring to someone of high status that deserves a lot of respect, or someone that you admire, such as a political icon, a celebrity that is loved, etc. Put this in front of a personal pronoun, and that's just an automatic clue that someone is very conceited. Since we know that Sondaina is an arrogant person, the use of 'Ore-sama' is only fitting. **

**Aishiteru: Well, I'll leave that for you to piece together at the big climax of the story, okay? ^_~**

**Kuso: Okay, this is a general exclamation of frustration, often times a swear, so keep that in mind that I'm a clean-mouth girl. **

**Kokuhaku: Confess. You know, confess love, confess an event, etc. **

* * *

_Dance, Departure, Declaration_

"Woah, woah, wait, hey, ACK!" Yaju shouted, as some of his servants then shoved him into a bathtub, and gave him a well-needed scrub-down for the night.

Coming up on a stand, Hikaru said, "This is the big night!"

Clearing stray hair from his eyes, Yaju then admitted, "I'm not sure I can do this…"

"You can't chicken out NOW! You've got to be bold! You need to be daring, and dive right in with this!" Hikaru said, reminding Yaju of the rose.

"Bold, daring, dive in with this… Got it." Yaju said, as he soon got out of the tub and shook off the excess water, albeit Hikaru managed to get under a stool to dodge the water.

"Okay, so the candles, light bulbs and I are going to provide the romantic candlelight while Kurokku and the others will prepare the music," Hikaru explained. He then got on to the vanity. "And as soon as the moment is JUST RIGHT, you kokuhaku your love!"

"Kokuhaku…" Yaju said, before going red in the face, and having a puff of steam explode from his head. "Iie, iie, I can't!"

"Don't tell me you don't care for her!" Hikaru scolded.

"More than life itself." Yaju said, as one of the servants, in the form of a hat rack, was working on his hair and horns.

"You can't keep it to yourself, then. You need to tell her!" Hikaru said.

After a few more trims and snips of hair, Hikaru said, "You look so… Er…"

"Dumb." Yaju said, as his horns were all disheveled from the hair trimmings, and there were too many ribbons.

"Not the word I was looking for, but we should get ride of those stray trims and ribbons; trust me." Hikaru said.

Kurokku then came in to the room, and then after clearing his throat, he announced, "Your oujo-sama awaits!"

Bijin came out of her bedroom, and she was wearing a shinning, blue dress with her hair tied up in a bun, with the hair cascading down her neck, so as to make it seem like a ponytail. Yaju was on the other side of the case, wearing his best suit, and trying to look presentable for Bijin.

'_She's even MORE beautiful than normal in that dress.' _Yaju thought, as he went red in the face.

Nabe-san sang, _"Tale as old as time… True as it can be. Barely even friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly."_

Yaju then walked donw the stairs, his back straight up, and then he soon met up with Bijin at the bottom of the flight. Bijin curtsied to him, to which Yaju responded with a simultaneous bow to her. They locked arms before walking down the stairs. Bijin was looking into Yaju's eyes with no hint of fear or hate whatsoever. All he saw was pure happiness.

"_Just a little change. A small change, its true. Both a little scared, neither one prepared. Bijin To Yaju."_

As they were in the dinning room, there were candles, and Yaju had improved with his table manners. There was a violin playing, and after Bijin finished eating, she clung to Yaju's arm, eager to dance.

They were entering the ballroom to dance, and Bijin was eagerly smiling at Yaju, who smiled back at him.

"_Ever just the same. Ever a surprise. Ever as before, Ever just as sure, as the sun will rise!"_

Bijin took Yaju's hand, in preparation to dance, only for Yaju to gulp hard.

'_D-Dance, what the heck?! I haven't danced since… Well, I don't know!' _Yaju internally fretted.

Bijin then put his other hand on her waist, and then they started waltzing. Watching all of this go down, Kurokku and Hikaru then high-fived each other, as they saw what was doing on.

Bijin was smiling at Yaju, who soon grew confident in his dancing. He then helped her travel on the floor, before the scene changed to what was on the ceiling.

"_Tale as old as time. Tune as old as song. Bittersweet and strange. Finding you can change. Learning you were wrong!"_

Cherubs were on the ceiling in clouds, and then they seemed to be moving. Back on the floor, Bijin and Yaju were still waltzing, with Bijin's dress twirling with each movement they made, and they got closer to one particular door.

"_Certain as the sun. __As it sun rises anew. Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Bijin To Yaju."_

Bijin then put her head to Yaju's chest, causing him to smile, as he felt more confident in his situation. Kurokku and Hikaru were then silently cheering him on as the scene became more romantic between them.

Using a switch, Hikaru then dimmed the lights, just enough for them to see clearly, but not so much that they would be blinded by the lights.

"_Tale as old as time… Song as old as rhyme… Bijin To Yaju."_

Nabe-san said, "It's past your bedtime, Chippu-kun. Off to the cupboard."

Chippu then hopped out of the room, only to poke his head back in for an unknown reason.

Yaju then led Bijin out to the balcony, and then they sat down on one of the benches.

'_I hope she says 'yes'…' _Yaju asked.

"Isn't it beautiful out here, Yaju?" Bijin asked.

"Yes, it is, but…" Yaju asked, as Bijin sat back down, a worried look on her face. "You… Are you happy here with me?"

"That's a dumb question." Bijin said with a giggle.

'_I guess that's a 'no'…'_ Yaju thought, with a sweat drop.

"I've never been happier anywhere else!" Bijin answered, with a smile, causing Yaju to perk up. "Although we got off on the wrong foot, since saving me from those wolves, you've treated me the best I've ever been treated since…"

However, Bijin then looked out to the horizon, and then smiled sadly.

'_If she's happy here, then…?' _Yaju thought. "What's the problem?"

"I wonder how dad is doing? I really miss him." Bijin said.

'_Kuso, I should have seen that one coming…' _Yaju thought. "There's a way to see him. Follow me."

Bijin looked at Yaju in questioning, and then Yaju led her to another part of the mansion. In actuality, it was the south wing, where Yaju handed Bijin the magic mirror, and explained, "This is a magical mirror, which can show you anything and everything that you might want to see at all."

Bijin ignored her own face long enough to say, "I would like to see my father, onegai."

Green energy and magic sparked, and then in the mirror, Bijin saw Hissha on the ground in the howling wind, coughing as hard as heck, freezing, and all alone in the woods.

"Dad… Oh, snap…" Bijin said, worried, with Yaju also looking at her in concern. "Dad's in even worse condition that when he was first here! He may be on the verge of death, and there's no one else with him!"

Yaju looked at the rose, and then he had a sad look on his face. He then thought, _'Screw the curse. I only want Bijin to be happy. Sure, I might not be able to return to normal if I do this, but if Bijin is happier with me the way I am, then…'_

"Then go to him." Yaju said.

"Excuse me?" Bijin asked.

"You're free to go. You're not a prisoner anymore." Yaju said.

"So… I can leave?" Bijin said, smiling.

Yaju merely nodded.

"Domo arigato! Hold on, Dad! I'm on my way!" Bijin said.

She was about to hand the mirror back to Yaju, when he said, "Keep it. This way, you can look back to all of us, and remember everything… Even me."

Yaju was about to tear up as he caressed Bijin's cheek. Bijin was also on the verge of tears, thinking, _'I don't want to leave, but… Dad needs me.'_

"Thank you so much for understanding how much dad needs me." Bijin said, about to leave.

Yaju did not stop her, despite how much he loved her, and then he sighed sadly.

Before exiting the room, Bijin told Yaju, "Funny thing is, this place was starting to feel like home."

Yaju brightened up just a tad as Bijin left the room, for what he thought would be the last time.

Kurokku then came in and said, "Wonderful work, young master! I KNEW you had it in you! Oh, at this rate…"

"I released her." Yaju said, depressed.

"Wonderful, WOND… I beg your pardon?!" Kurokku shouted, clueing in. "HOW COULD YOU?!"

"What choice did I have? None." Yaju said.

"I know, but… but… Why?!" Kurokku asked.

As a tear fell from his face, Yaju admitted, "Because… I'm in love with her. I'd much rather stay in this form and have Bijin be happy than be human and have her be miserable!"

* * *

"_**HE NANI?!"**_ The other servants shouted, in askance.

"Yes, I'm afraid that's what happened…" Kurokku said.

"She's leaving?" Chippu asked, in worry.

"But we were _SO CLOSE!_" Hikaru ranted.

"_FINALLY_… After all of this time, the young master has learned to care and love." Nabe-san said, at least happy that Yaju learned his lesson.

"That's right! Shouldn't that break this curse?" Hikaru asked.

"It's not that simple. The feeling needs to be mutual." Nabe-san said.

Chippu snuck off without the others knowing, and they all sighed.

Yaju was watching from the window as Bijin left on the enchanted bicycle; he started silently crying at the thought of Bijin leaving him, and he roared into the air in anguish.

Bijin looked back for a brief second, sadness in her eyes, and then she kept on riding the bike, and calling out for her father, only for her to soon find him out cold in the snow, and borderline hypothermic.

"Dad!" Bijin shouted, as she rushed over to him.

Bringing him back to the house, Bijin opened the door and went inside. However, neither one of them knew that the snowman that was there was really Damasu, hypothermic. He soon got out of his disguise and soon said, "Aha! They're back!"

He then ran off to find Sondaina and let him know that they were home.

* * *

Inside the house, Hissha woke up and saw the blurry image of his daughter, and said, "Bijin…"

"Dad, quiet, it's okay. I'm home." Bijin said, wiping his head down.

"I never thought I'd see you ever again!" Hissha said, as he hugged Bijin.

"I'm happy to see you, too, Dad. I missed you." Bijin said.

"But the Yaju; how did you get out of that place?" Hissha asked.

"Dad, I didn't sneak out or escape; Yaju let me go on his own free will." Bijin said, with a happy smile, as if nothing happened.

"That horrid Yaju?" Hissha asked, incredulous.

A vein popped in Bijin's head for a second, before saying, "Dad, don't talk about him like that! He's a changed man… Er… Yaju."

However, the slight tension was broken when the mirror and Chippu fell out of Bijin's book bag, and then he spun around before saying, "Konbonwa!"

He then bounded over to Hissha, with Bijin, shocked and slightly upset, saying, "What the -?! Chippu-kun, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, hello, I didn't think I'd see you again." Hissha said.

"Bijin, why did you leave? Don't you like us?" Chippu asked.

"That's not why I left, Chippu-kun. You see…" Bijin said, but soon, the doorbell rang.

Bijin then answered the door to see the Mental Hospital Isha, and then she grew nervous.

"May I help you?" Belle inquired of the elderly man standing at her door.

"I'm here for your father." Isha said.

"Dad?" Bijin asked.

"Don't worry, oujo-chan, he'll be in good hands." Isha said, as he revealed a wagon that had the words, "Mental Health Hospital"

"Dad's not a head case! You know it!" Bijin protested.

"He was ranting like a madman! We all heard him, right?" Damasu said.

Everyone was murmuring in agreement while Sondaina was hiding out of view by leaning on the house foundation.

"I won't let you do this!" Bijin said, only to be a bit nerve-wracked by two men who jumped out of the wagon.

"Bijin?" Hissha said.

"Tell us again, old man. How big _was _the yaju?" Damasu asked, jeeringly.

"He was six, no eight feet tall." Hissha said; everyone then started laughing at him.

"You don't get any nuttier than that, do you?" Damasu said.

Isha raised his hand to signal for his assistants to grab Hissha, and Damasu said, "Let's get him out of here."

"Let me go!" Hissha shouted.

"You can't do this without a warrant or something, can you?" Bijin demanded.

"Bijin-chan, it's too bad about your father." Sondaina said, as he came up and put a hand on Bijin's shoulder.

'_I smell a rat, but just to be sure…' _Bijin thought. "Sondaina-kun, you and I _BOTH_ know that my father isn't insane! Do something!"

"Hm… I could clear up this little misunderstanding, if…" Sondaina said.

"If…?" Bijin asked, a little wary.

"If you go out with me." Sondaina said, deviously.

Bijin then narrowed her eyes, saying, "Pardon me?"

"All it takes is a 'yes', Bijin. Just say 'yes', and this will all be over." Sondaina said.

"Bijin?" Hissha said, asking for help.

"Out of the question!" Bijin said.

"Have it your way!" Sondaina said.

'_I have an idea!' _Bijin said, as she fled in back the house, and grabbed the mirror.

"Release me!" Hissha demanded of the two men who were trying to place him into the asylum wagon.

"My father is _NOT_ a head case, and I _can, and WILL_ prove it!" Bijin said, as she came out with the magic mirror. Sondaina looked at her in surprise and disbelief.

Bijin then looked into the mirror, and said, "Show me Yaju, please!"

The mirror glowed with greenish light and in the glass, it showed the Yaju roaring, though nothing could be heard whilst the people gathered all screeched out in fear as they all looked upon the image in the mirror.

"Is it a threat?!" A woman in the crowd asked.

"Don't be ridiculous! He'd never hurt a fly! Sure, he might _look_ frightening, but he's a gentleman," Bijin said, as she looked at the image with a loving face; Sondaina was looking at the image in distaste. "He saved my life, and he's my friend."

"If I wasn't insane like your dad, I'd say that you might be _in love_ with this _monster_." Sondaina said, as he turned Bijin around to face him in anger.

"Well, maybe I _am!_ And the only monster around here I can see is _**YOU**_, Sondaina!" Bijin shouted.

This angered Sondaina, and then he said, "She's as nuts as her father!"

Snatching the mirror, Sondaina said, "He'll come after the kids! He'll be lurking around in the night!"

"Stop spouting off lies!" Bijin shouted.

"We're not going to be safe until he's mounted on the wall! I say we _kill_ the yaju!" Sondaina shouted.

"Yeah!" the people cried out.

_"We're not safe until he's dead"_ sang one man with a thick mustache.

_"He'll be stalking us at night"_ sang another man fearfully.

_"Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite" _sang an elderly woman.

_"He'll wreak havoc on our city if we let him wander free"_ sang another man with a thick beard and mustache.

_"So it's time to take some action, boys; it's time to follow me" _sang Sondaina as he threw a match into a pile of dead grass, and then it was set aflame as if it were a bonfire.

Sondaina started chasing Damasu around as if he were the yaju, and Sondaina continued singing, _"Through the mist, through the woods, through the darkness and the shadows, it's a nightmare but it's one exciting ride. Say a prayer, then we're there at the twins gates of a mansion and there's something truly terrible inside. A yaju, he's got fangs, razor sharp ones; massive paws, killer claws for the food. Hear him roar, see him foam, but we're not coming home 'til he's dead; good and dead! Kill the Yaju!"_

"Stop this now! I won't let you do this!" Bijin said, as she was about to grab the mirror, only for Sondaina to grab her by the wrist to stop her.

"You're either with us or against us! Bring us the oji-san!" Sondaina shouted.

"Let me go!" Hissha said, as he was shoved into the cellar.

"We can't have them warning the yaju." Sondaina said. _'I'm sorry to do this, but if I can't have you, then that monstrosity won't, either.'_

"Let us out!" Bijin shouted, as she was also put into the cellar, and then the doors were locked. She started banging on them.

"We'll rid our city of that Yaju! Who's with me?" Sondaina shouted.

"_I AM!" _Many people said.

He then looked back at the door sadly.

"_Get the tar, start the car!" _Everyone sang.

"_Screw your courage to the sticking place!" _Sondaina said, as he got several buckets of tar and started up his family car to get going.

The people sang out as they began their march out of the village and followed Sondaina's car, which was driving slowly, and into the wood, _"We're counting on Sondaina to lead the way. Through a mist, through a wood where within a haunted mansion something's lurking that you don't see every day. It's a yaju! One as tall as a mountain! We won't rest 'til he's dead, dead, and true. Sally forth, Tally-ho, grab your rifle, grab your bow, praise the Lord, and here we go!"_

_"We'll lay siege to the mansion and bring back his head!"_ Sondaina called out to the people.

"I have to warn Yaju somehow! I never should have left… Dad, what are we going to do?" Bijin cried, as she tried banging the door.

"Calm down, we can get out of this." Hissha said, hugging Bijin, as Chippu looked in through the window.

Sadly turning, Chippu saw a nearby car, and got an idea.

_"We don't like what we don't understand, in fact it scares us and this yaju's enigmatic at least. Bring your guns, bring your knives, if you want to, bring your wives, we'll save the city and our lives! We'll kill the yaju!"_ sang the people as they used a spare concrete beam from a construction site to use as a battering ram.

"Figures this would happen! I can't believe we got out hopes up!" Kurokku complained.

"Do you think it might have been better had she not come at all?" Hikaru said, before noticing something outside. "Look!"

"Is she back?" Nabe-san said.

"Kuso; invaders!" Hikaru said.

"Trespassers!" Kurokku said.

"And they've got the mirror!" Nabe-san said. "But how?"

"Warn the young master! We'll be ready for them, if they want a fight, won't we?" Kurokku said, only to find that his friends were already gone.

Many of the other items in the castle began to head down the stairs to meet the townspeople as they sang, _"Hearts ablaze, banners high, we go marching into battle; unafraid, though the danger just went up, its true."_

Back on the ground and carrying the ramming log, the townspeople sang, "_Raise the flag, sing the song, here we come, we're fifty strong and fifty Japanese can't be wrong. Let's kill the yaju!"_ They then began to try to break the door down with the ram.

"Pardon me, young master…" Nabe-san said, as she came in to the room.

"Leave me alone…" Yaju said.

"Young master, the mansion is under attack!" Nabe-san said, firmly.

At the door the people were hitting the door with the ram, singing with each thrust, _"Kill the Yaju! Kill the Yaju!"_

Standing against the door to try and keep the people out, the various servants-turned-items, began to realize that their efforts were failing.

"Crap, this isn't going to hold forever!" Hikaru said. "Aha! I have an idea!"

The people outside continued battering at the door, chanting, _"Kill the Yaju! Kill the Yaju!"_

Looking over his shoulder with sadness in his eyes and one hand upon the domed lid that was covering the rose, he heard Nabe-san ask in earnest, "What are we going to do, young master?!"

"It doesn't matter now. Just let them come" Beast replied sadly.

The people continued chanting, _"Kill the Yaju! Kill the Yaju! Kill the Yaju!"_

The door then gave way and the people dropped the beam to the ground while noticing the stacks of objects sitting off to the sides. Quietly entering, they cast glances around as Sondaina led the way inside.

"You can take any loot you like, but Yaju is _mine_, okay?" Sondaina said.

Damasu then took hold of Hikaru, who suddenly shouted out, "NOW!"

The various household items began attacking the people. The coat tree began punching one man in the mouth while a mop attacked a man with a sickle. A woman was getting ready to attack a couple of dressers with an axe when both opened their top drawers to slam her in the face. A cauldron dropped over another man's head as many other utensils began banging on it while another woman man was tossed into a trunk, which then licked its lips as it shut its lid and belched.

Looking around at the pandemonium, Sondaina turned in anger and began to ascend the stairs to find the Beast.

Back at Bijin's, Chippu, who started driving it toward the cellar, somehow started up the car.

"What the heck…?" Hissha said, as he saw what was happening. As the car approached, they both got scared.

"Bijin-chan, look out!" Hissha said, as he tackled Bijin to the floor, as the cellar doors were busted open.

"You've got to try this thing!" Chippu said.

Back at the castle, steins were throwing tomatoes at a woman holding a shovel. She was just about to strike them with her shovel when she heard a voice call out to her from above, "Up here, you scurvy scum! Now!" Nabe-san cried out as she and six teacups poured hot tea down upon the woman, scalding her, and causing her to scream.

Singing out, as though an opera singer, the wardrobe from Bijin's room dropped down upon another man.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Sondaina kicked open a door and searched it while holding a bow and arrow before continuing down the hallway in search of Yaju.

'_Man, for a beast, he knows how to hide.'_ Sondaina thought, frustrated.

Back on the lower floor, the wardrobe smacked a couple of women away with her doors before socking a third woman in the face with a drawer. A hairbrush and comb leapt out from the drawer and then began to attack the woman so that she fell inside the wardrobe who then began to struggle to get back out. However, when the doors did open, she fell out wearing green high-heeled shoes, purple shorts, purple elbow length gloves, a green tutu, purple bra, a pearl necklace, earrings, and had tall, red bouffant hair in a beehive, and with a small green bow in her hair. Looking down at himself, the woman screamed out before running away.

Off in a corner, Damasu had Hikaru, and threatening him with a lit match. Upon on the stairs above, Kurokku, wearing a Napoleonic-style hat, and holding a gun in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, laughed deviously. Seeing that Hikaru was sweating, Kurokku jumped up onto the banister and slid down while holding the pointed tip of the scissors out in front of him as though a sword and poked Damasu in the posterior so that he jumped up, holding onto his backside while screaming out in pain, and dropped his tmatch.

Bijin was riding on her bike back to the mansion in the woods, trying to save Yaju.

Damasu and two other men began chasing after one of the vacuum cleaners when it ran into kitchen and letting the doors take the knives that had been thrown at it. The men then entered the kitchen, laughing evilly as they thought they had cornered the vacuums when five drawers shot open and many sharp knives and forks stood up as the light glinted off of their sharp points and the stove came alive as fire erupted from the burners while it glared at them. Turning the three men took off running for their lives and out the door along with the rest of the townspeople.

Inside, the many items began cheering for their victory, unaware that Sondaina was still inside and hunting for the Beast.

"And stay out!" shouted Kurokku to the.

Up in his room, Yaju sat by the window in despair when Sondaina entered. Seeing Yaju, he drew back his arrow as Yaju turned and sent a sad look towards him. As he turned back away from Sondaina, he released the arrow which flew and landed right in Yaju's back causing him to cry out in pain just as Sondaina ran forward and shoved him through the window and onto the balcony.

'_Ugh, what was that?!' _Yaju thought, albeit he was still depressed.

Sondaina jumped out the window and ran towards Yaju off the balcony and onto the roof below. Jumping down to land by the Yaju, Sondaina demanded of him, "Get up."

The beast just turned, and sent him a sad look when Sondaina shoved Yaju while yelling, "Get up! What's wrong, Yaju? Too much of a gentleman to fight back?"

Yaju just sent him a sad look before turning to look away from him, before thinking, _'Nothing matters anymore, not without Bijin'_

Sondaina used part of the statue from the mansion as a club and was about to attack Yaju with it, when…

"_IIE!"_ Bijin shouted from below, as Sondaina was about to strike Yaju. Yaju, recognizing her voice, looked down to see her looking up at them in worry.

"Bijin! You're back!" Yaju quietly called to her.

"Don't do it, Sondaina!" Bijin pleaded as she held her hands to her face in fear.

Ignoring her plea, Sondaina tried to strike Yaju with his stone club when Yaju, having found the will to fight, lifted one hand and caught the club before turning and rising up as he found a reason to fight back. Both Sondaina and Yaju now held the club in both of their hands and Yaju growled down at him as he stared back at Yaju in astonishment and concern.

'_This guy is tougher than I thought… But then again, Bijin DID say he was a gentleman. I guess seeing her again brought him to his senses.'_ Sondaina said, preparing for the worst.

"I'll handle this!" Bijin said, as she soon ran inside the mansion.

Meanwhile, Sondaina and Yaju were in a struggle against each other when Sondaina lost his grip on the club and now began trying to retreat from Yaju by climbing over a part of the roof. However, as Sondaina tried grabbing for the club, he lost his footing. Yaju chased after him and tackled him onto a lower dormer of the roof.

Inside, Bijin ran up the stairs with concern in her eyes.

'_If I don't do something, Yaju will… Yaju will…' _Bijin thought, worried.

As the two landed, Sondaina gave Yaju a shove and threw him a distance away before taking up the club and giving chase. He saw what he thought was the Yaju and swung his club only to take off the head of a gargoyle and sent it a rather displeased look.

'_Man, this thing sure knows how to hide in the shadows…' _Sondaina thought.

"Come on out and fight!" Sondaina shouted out as he noticed that this section of the castle roof was littered with gargoyles. "Were you in love with her, Yaju? Did you honestly think that she'd want you when she had someone like _ORE-SAMA_?!" he asked as he unknowingly passed in front of Yaju who looked at him aggressively.

'_I don't know who this guy is, but he has some nerve and arrogance to barge in here, assuming Bijin wants him.' _Yaju thought.

Walking up behind Yaju with a growl, Sondaina turned and swung his club only for Yaju to drop down on all fours and circled around him as he missed. Taking aim again, Sondaina went to swing, but Yaju caught the club in his teeth when both began turning as they struggled against each other when Sondaina succeeded in getting hold of the club once again and kept trying to swing it at Yaju.

"It's over, Yaju! Bijin no _ore-sama!_!" Sondaina proclaimed, ready to strike with the club.

Looking back at the boy in anger, Yaju charged forward and slammed Sondaina against the side of the castle before grabbing him up by the throat and holding him out away from the roof and over the ground far below.

"Let me go! Let me go! Please, don't hurt me! I'll do anything, anything!" Sondaina pleaded of Yaju.

His teeth clenched in rage, as he stared at the pathetic man in his grasp, Yaju's aggression slowly melted out of him as he look softened. Pulling him back, Yaju told him, "Get out" and tossed him aside.

"_YAJU!_" Bijin called out as she ran out onto the balcony above him.

Turning to look at her, Yaju's face of anger and sadness soon turned to joy, as he said, "Bijin!"

Holding her hand out to him, Yaju climbed the roof back up to her, reaching out his hand to her as he said, "Bijin," their hands came together and, as he ran another hand to stroke her hair and cheek, he said, "You came back."

Enjoying the feeling of his gentle touch, she took hold of his hand and arm just before Yaju roared out in pain as Sondaina had snuck up on them and plunged his knife into Yaju's back. Removing the knife from Yaju's back, Sondaina made ready to strike again when Yaju reared back in pain and thus causing him to lose his grip and thus Sondaina fell to the ground, only for him to slow it down by grabbing on to the flag pole, and then he got himself back up on the roof.

He approached Bijin, only to see her over Yaju's body, with a look of fright on her face.

Bijin pulled Yaju, who was bleeding, up back onto stable ground, while Nabe-san, Hikaru, and Kurokku came out on the balcony, only to be shocked at their wounded young master. Yaju, smiled, as he was happy to see Bijin, and he weakly said, "You came back…"

"Naturally… I couldn't let them…" Bijin said, but she soon hugged him. "Oh, this is all my fault! If only I had gotten here sooner. Heck, if only I had stayed!"

Sondaina was in utter shock of the way Bijin was acting.

"Maybe… It's better…" Yaju said. "It's better this way."

"Don't talk that way!" Bijin said. "Everything will work out!"

Yaju was coughing, but Bijin said, "We're together, now! Everything will be fine!"

Yaju then put his hand to Bijin's face before saying, "I'm just happy… you're safe… and I'm happy I got to see you one last time."

Bijin held his hand to her face, but it soon went cold, and then she looked at Yaju, whose eyes then rolled back, and he fell unconscious while closing his eyes.

Covering her mouth, Bijin then shook her head before whispering, "Iie… IIE! Onegai… Onegai… Onegai don't leave me!"

She then started sniveling, and put her head to Yaju's chest, and then as a tear wept down her face, she whispered, "Aishiteru…"

Almost immediately after she said it, the last petal on the enchanted rose fell, and seeing this, the three servants looked down in grief; the spell was not broken in time… Or so they thought.

Bijin then stood up, knowing the one she loved was gone, and then she turned to Sondaina, her face filled with rage.

Sondaina was clearly freaked out with Bijin's face, and he was about to defend himself, saying, "N-N-N-Now, now, now… Let's just calm down…"

"_This… __IS__... __**ALL YOUR FAULT!**_" Bijin shouted at Sondaina. "_**HOW COULD YOU?! I knew you wanted me to be your girlfriend, but to resort to MURDER?! You're a MONSTER! A hideous monster!" **_

"Now, now, Bijin-chan, come to your senses…" Sondaina said, about to console her.

"_**YOU SHUT YOUR TRAP! You may look like you're Prince Charming, but you're FAR FROM IT! You're a murderer! I HATE YOU!"**_

"What I want to know is why you fell in love with this thing. He's not even a human, and yet you love him." Sondaina asked, as if he genuinely cared.

"_**THAT'S MY BUSINESS, YOU HEAR?! HE HAS THE HEART OF A PRINCE, WHICH IS TEN TIMES MORE THAN I CAN OR WILL SAY FOR THE SCUM OF THE EARTH THAT YOU ARE! NOW GET OUT OF HERE! LEAVE ME ALONE!"**_ Bijin shouted, as she then fell to the floor.

Sondaina sadly walked away from the scene, obviously hurt by what Bijin had said to him.

As Bijin was crying, pink lights started falling form the sky, as if they were meteors. Blue, yellow, and green lights followed, calling to the ground. Noticing this, Bijin looked around, and then she saw Yaju rising up from the ground. Backing off in fright, she watched in awe, as did the servants, as they saw Yaju rise up from the ground, seemingly floating in mid-air, and his red cape surrounded him, and his body flashed orange-yellow light, and one of his paws raised up to the sky, and it slowly turned back into a human hand. His feet did the same, and as his body was changing back, wind seemed to be blowing up from his neck, and it soon lost the fur, fangs, horns, everything, turning it back into a human face with short, spiky, black hair. Looking at this in shock, Bijin watched as the boy before her fell to the ground, gently, and then he was on his knees, with one hand supporting him, and Bijin approached, only to see him stir, causing her to back up. The boy got up, and he soon looked at his hands, before turning back to Bijin, revealing a slim, muscular, handsome boy with short, black, spiky hair, clear emerald-green eyes, and wearing the same clothing Yaju wore earlier.

Bijin was looking at the boy in astonishment, and then she thought, _'Could it be…?'_

Looking at his hands, and then all around himself, he said, "Alright! Bijin, you did it!"

"Pardon me?" Bijin asked, confused.

The boy then turned to Bijin, ran over to her, and then he said, "Bijin… It's me!"

He then took her hands, but this statement did not cut it for Bijin. She looked at him questioningly, before stoking his hair, and looking at him for traits of the same person she had fallen for. Looking deep into his green eyes, she brightened up in realization that it WAS the same boy she had fallen in love with.

Bijin then gasped lightly, and then as she caressed his cheek, Bijin said, "It _IS_ you! Oh… I thought you died, Yaju!"

"My real name isn't 'Yaju', Bijin," The boy said, as he cupped Bijin's face. "It's Tatsuya."

Tatsuya then held on to Bijin's face, gently, and then they closed the distance and kissed, both hugging each other, sparkling, blue light swirled around them, before shooting up to the sky and exploding, as if it were fireworks. The darkness of the castle disappeared, turning the gargoyles back into angels, and turning all of the dead vines back into living rose vines.

The servants came over, turning back into human versions of themselves.

"Hikaru!" Tatsuya said, as he held Hikaru by the shoulders.

Kurokku was next, and Tatsuya hugged him by the shoulder, saying, "Kurokku!"

Nabe-san then came up, and Tatsuya said, "Oh, Nabe-san!"

He then hugged all three at once, saying, "Look at us!"

Chippu then came in, saying, "Mama! Mama!"

The dog turned back into… well, a dog, and Chippu turned back into a young human boy with auburn hair and a light bucktooth.

Nabe-san picked him up, and said, "Oh, my goodness!"

"How did this happen? What's going on?" Bijin asked aloud to the others.

"You've read the story "Beauty And The Beast", right?" Tatsuya asked. "About how an ikemen runs an enchantress afoul by being selfish, cruel, unkind, and whatnot?"

Bijin nodded.

Tatsuya then sighed, and said, "That's exactly what happened to me when I was only seven years old. I thought she was hideous and turned her away. She then cursed me, and the rest of the mansion until I could learn to love another, and earn her love back. And, you know the rest. You saved us, and just in the nick of time, too."

"Hikaru said something about it being ten years… You're seventeen?" Bijin asked.

"Right, my love." Tatsuya said, as he soon stood up with Bijin's hand in his.

"It's a miracle!" Hikaru said.

Tatsuya had picked Bijin up and spun her around, and then the scene immediately transitioned to both Bijin and Tatsuya wearing the same attire they were in when they were dancing earlier that evening. They kissed once more, and then Luke started off the dance.

"Ah… L'amour." Hikaru said.

Kurokku then cut in, and shaking Hikaru's hand, asked, "Well, Hikaru, old friend, shall we let bygones be bygones?"

"Of course, mon amie! I _told _you she would break the spell!" Hikaru said.

"Oh, I do beg your pardon, but I think _I_ told _you_." Kurokku said.

However, this soon escalated into an argument, which resulted in them tackling each other.

As Bijin and Tatsuya were then dancing still, with Nabe-san, holding on to Chippu, and Hissha, who was there, and wiping his face with a napkin were watching.

"Are they going to live happily ever after, mama?" Chip asked.

"Of course, my dear." Nabe-san said. "Of course."

However, Chippu then asked, "Do I still have to sleep in the cupboard?"

However, this only caused them to laugh happily.

As a reprise of "Beauty and The Beast" played, and both Bijin Tatsuya were still dancing, the scene panned out to reveal a stained glass window, revealing Bijin, Tatsuya and everyone as humans in the window, revealing a happy ending for everyone.

"I love you, Tatsuya…" Bijin said, as she rested her head against his chest once more.

* * *

**That's it for the story… NOT! Haha! Now, I noticed there were a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the movie, as Beast never truly revealed his real name. According to the Disney Wiki, his real name is Adam. **

**Since we just leave off with them dancing, I thought I'd add more to the story by adding an epilogue chapter. Basically, what happens after Bijin breaks the spell. You know, how she's received when she goes back to school, and how her future is. So, I'm hoping you'll like seeing that. See you next time!**


	6. To The Future

**Everything with Bijin is back to normal after the previous night. She has found her prince charming, and has finally achieved her goal of finding adventure outside of her hometown. Now that this is done, she's going back to school, but she's FAR from alone: Tatsuya is going with her! **

**Oh, and two more translations. **

**Kyodaina: Monstrous**

**Ōshitsuno: Royal**

**Oh, just another tip: in Japan, people often put honorifics after people's names. If no honorific is used, it usually means they're very close or is otherwise very rude. Sometimes, people prefer to be called by first name with no honorific. This is just a heads up.**

**I should also tell you about black cards. In Japan, people who are of high social status, i.e., very rich, have black credit cards they use to pay for things. Sort of like credit cards in America, only it is exclusive to the rich. **

* * *

_To The Future_

The school bell rang, and Bijin was walking to class, as if nothing had happened. Everyone was looking at her as if she has just come out of nowhere, like usual, and everyone was talking about her as if something went wrong. Bijin, however, was ignoring everything, and she was as happy as a clam, knowing things were back to normal.

"Kiwamete-san!" Several girls shouted, as they approached Bijin.

"Kiwamete-san, where were you these past few days? Its as if you just vanished!" One of the girls, one with glasses, said.

"I'd explain, but you'd find it unbelievable. I suggest reading 'Beauty And The Beast' to find out _exactly_ what happened." Bijin said, as she then left.

"Look at her! Like nothing ever happened." Sondaina said, from a distance.

"Still depressed about her choosing the Yaju over you?" Damasu asked.

"Damn right! And she seems like she's not grieving over the loss of her _beloved_ prince kyodaina!" Sondaina said.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Bijin's homeroom, everyone was acting like nothing crazy was going on.

"Everyone, we have a new student transferring in to our homeroom," The teacher said. "You can come in."

Entering the room, Bijin gasped with delight at seeing Tatsuya standing there.

"Hello, my name is Ōshitsuno Tatsuya, age seventeen. I look forward to becoming friends with all of you." Tatsuya said, as he bowed, but when he looked up, he saw Bijin in her seat.

"Bijin!" Tatsuya said, as he made his way over to her.

"Tatsuya! I didn't know you were going to come here!" Bijin said, as she stood up at her desk.

Tatsuya then took Bijin's hand, and he then pulled her close, saying, "I could never stay away from you forever, mon amor."

"EH?! Kiwamete-san knows Ōshitsuno-kun?! How?!" One of the jealous girls said.

"This is such a wonderful surprise, seeing you here!" Bijin said, as she hugged Tatsuya.

"Exactly: this was a surprise just for you. Now we can see each other every day." Tatsuya said, as he then put his hand on her cheek, and then she looked up at him, in a happy mood.

"How do they know each other?" "They must really be close if they can call each other by name with no honorific." "Maybe while she was AWOL, they met each other?" "Who cares? I heard a rumor that Sondaina survived a fight with a monster last night, and that Bijin was what the fight was all about." "And yet Bijin chose someone else. How fickle."

"So, shall we save the romance for later, sweetness?" Tatsuya said.

Bijin nodded, her face turning pink, and her eye twinkling.

* * *

Walking through the halls, confused, Sondaina noticed Bijin, and he soon approached Bijin at her locker.

Noticing him coming, Bijin looked at him with hate in her face, and then she inquired, "What do _YOU_ want?"

"Are you okay?" Sondaina said. "You seem like nothing happened! Especially after I got rid of that yaju you loved so much!"

Bijin had a vein pop in her head, and she merely slapped him on his cheek, before telling Sondaina, "Shut it. You're lucky I don't turn you in for attempted murder, you cretin."

"Wait… 'Attempted'… Meaning…" Sondaina said, his eyes widening.

"Right: he survived. Let's just say you _WON'T_ know him when you see him this time around." Bijin said.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Sondaina said, as he soon grabbed Bijin's arm, and was about to pull her toward him. "I fought for you! Hunted a monster for you! And yet you still reject me?!"

"Because I can see past the face, and so should you!" Bijin argued back.

However, Tatsuya then jumped in by grabbing Sondaina's arm, and saying, "Hold it."

"Tatsuya! Perfect timing!" Bijin said, as she ran over and hugged him.

"So, he's still bothering you after what happened?" Tatsuya inquired.

Bijin merely nodded.

"You're that new student, right?" Sondaina said. "What business do you have interfering like this?"

"Better question is, what business do you have with my girlfriend?" Tatsuya said.

Sondaina's eyes widened in shock, and he felt like his heart shattered into a billion or more pieces.

"Wait, since when, and why did you hook up with this stranger?" Sondaina demanded of Bijin. "You fall in love with a yaju, I try to hunt it down, and after all of that, you find someone else?! You're so fickle!"

"Oh, yeah? News flash for you, buster," Tatsuya said. "I highly doubt you recognize me, but Bijin didn't have to tell me the whole story of what happened. I experienced the whole thing. First-hand. And as I've said, you don't recognize me."

Looking up and down this newcomer, Sondaina then backed off in fright, saying, "Y-Y… You're the yaju?"

"Right. Long story short, I was under a spell for ten years, and Bijin broke it. She's not fickle! I might be completely different on the outside, but I'm still the same person. So, deal is this: you don't leave Bijin alone, and I WILL have you arrested, is that clear?" Tatsuya said, as he glared at Sondaina.

Sondaina merely fled the area, as if understanding, and then Tatusya and Bijin laughed at each other, before embracing each other, and then staring into each other's eyes.

"No jerk like him deserves an angel such as yourself." Tatsuya said.

"Oh, thanks…" Bijin said, blushing, as she soon kissed Tatsuya, to which he returned, no fuss.

* * *

Later that day, Bijin and her father were cleaning out the house; they were moving in to Tatsuya's mansion so they could stay together.

"I'm surprised you weren't opposed to it, dad," Bijin said, as she put down a few filled boxes. "I'd think you'd be flipping out at the idea of me living under the same roof with a boy my age."

"There are plenty of adults, including myself, living in that wonderful place with you, Bijin. And that Tatsuya-kun is such a gentleman; no one is better for my beloved daughter. It's kind of hard to believe that last night, he was a nearly-dead yaju."

"Thanks, dad. And you know, curses that effect someone's physical appearance doesn't bring out the best in people, but in life, you can't judge a book by its cover, can you?" Bijin said, as she soon helped load the car.

After putting up a 'For Sale' sign on the yard, Bijin and Hissha soon drove away to Tatsuya's mansion, so as so help Bijin and Tatsuya stay together.

As they entered the mansion, it was bright, cheery, and as soon as Bijin entered, everyone applauded for her, and from the top of the main staircase was Tatsuya, in a different suit, and he soon ran downstairs to meet up with Bijin. They took each other's hands, and then they kissed once more, causing everyone to cheer again.

"You're here! I was counting the minutes until you arrived." Tatsuya said.

"Oh, you…" Bijin said, as she soon hugged him.

"I was thinking, that maybe you would like to stay in that room from before?" Tatsuya asked.

"What, why not… Oh, I get; you don't want any misunderstandings." Bijin said, knowing why Tatsuya was saying something like that.

Tatsuya nodded, and then he dipped Bijin down before they kissed once more, and anime hearts surrounded them.

After Bijin settled in to her new room, she changed into more fitting attire for the environment; after all, this was her permanent home.

"Oujo-sama," Hikaru said, coming in. "The young master has requested that you…"

However, he was interrupted when Tatsuya then came in, and he said, "Hey, hey, hey, I can ask Bijin myself!"

Bijin laughed happily at this, and then she came out of the bedroom, wearing a shorter, pink version of the dress she would wear for dancing.

"What's the matter?" Bijin asked, happily.

"We're having a ball next week to celebrate the lifting of the spell," Tatsuya explained. "Yes, I know there was last night, but that was a spur-of-the-moment thing. This is the real deal. So… Um…"

"Of course I'll be your dance partner." Bijin said, as she put her hand on to his cheek, and looked at him with loving eyes.

Tatsuya was on cloud nine for a second, but then he snapped out of it, and then he said, "You've made my day. I was hoping to see you in something other than the usual blue ballroom gown. I want to be able to see you in many outfits, because…"

"Yes…?" Bijin asked.

"…I'll tell you tonight." Tatsuya said.

He then left for the moment, and then he was all nerve-wracked again.

'_Gah! She's just so cute! I love her so much… Of COURSE I'm going to ask her sooner or later. But obviously doing it now is too soon…' _Tatsuya thought, on his way back to his room.

Later that evening, Tatsuya was looking at his clothes, and seeing which of the outfits would be suitable for the event, and then he picked out a nice tux… trouble was, it was too small. He did grow in every sense of the word during the ten years he was under the spell.

"Oh, boy…" Tatsuya said, as he soon realized the predicament he was in.

"Young master?" Kurokku said, as he came in. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah; ten years without being a human has made me outgrow my tuxes. I need to go shopping…"

"Shall we take the limousine?" Hikaru asked.

"Out of the question," Tatsuya said. "I want to surprise Bijin, especially because I'm going to ask her tonight."

"You mean… You're going to…?" Kurokku said, as he was clueing in.

"Yes, I am. Why are you so surprised?" Tatsuya said, as he put all of his smaller tuxes into the trash.

"Isn't it too soon? You're only in high school, and you're planning on crossing _that_ bridge already? You've only known her for about four or five days." Hikaru said.

"So what? She broke the spell, and she showed me true love… Why shouldn't I do it?" Tatsuya said.

"Don't you think you should wait a few years before doing this?" Kurokku asked.

"Asking her is one thing, but doing it can wait a few more years." Tatsuya said.

"I see… Besides, she's living here anyway, so it would make sense…" Hikaru said.

"I concur, but please wait until _after_ high school to actually have it happen." Kurokku said.

"Yes, that's a good idea," Tatsuya said. "I think I'll go out on my own. I haven't left the house in ten years, so I need to know how to get around town."

Tatsuya then left the room.

"Hikaru, he really does love her, doesn't he?" Kurokku said.

"Yes… I can't believe he's doing this, and at such a young age. Luckily for us, he's not planning on going through with the actual event until a few years down the road." Hikaru said.

* * *

Tatsuya was then outside a tuxedo shop, looking around at the colors he found appealing. He decided that since it was a formal event, not to wear anything that might end up embarrassing to him, so decided to stick with the standard black and white tuxedoes.

'_Oh, man… I'm in over my head…' _Tatsuya thought.

He was unsure of which one of them would fit, so he took several ones that he liked that were in different sizes, and then he went into the dressing room.

Each time he changed into a different tux, the curtain opened up to show what he was wearing. The first one was too large, and all of his extremities were covered up. Stepping out, Tatsuya then tripped on the hem of the pant leg, and fell flat on his face. The second one was too small, and he was still struggling to get the pants on when the curtain opened, causing him to fall over on his stomach again. Third one, the pants were just right, but the top was too small, and he was turning blue in the face because the neck was so tight. Fourth one, it was a perfect fit, but he unintentionally picked out one that was red with rainbow-colored polka dots, causing him to look fairly gaudy.

"Augh! This won't win her over!" Tatsuya complained, as he then closed the curtains once more, and tried again.

The fifth one he came out in was green with zebra-stripes, and it looked even worse, causing Tatsuya to internally puke.

The sixth one was just his size, he was able to breath, and he was also able to walk around in it. He noticed that he was lacking a boutonnière, and as soon as he paid for the tux, with his black card, he left the store, with the tux in its bag, and he smiled victoriously, as he knew he accomplished one of his goals.

"Perfect! Now for step two: the boutonnière!" Tatsuya said, as he soon went off to the florist's.

* * *

Tatsuya was wandering around the flower shop, looking at artificial boutonnières on display. He needed something special for the occasion, but he knew a red rose would have been clichéd and not associable with the event.

"Looking for something, young sir?" An employee said, noticing Tatsuya's debate.

"Yes, I'm looking for a boutonnière for a formal ball that my family is hosting, and I want to be able to impress my girlfriend, who is my date. This occasion is special, because…" Tatsuya said, and then he explained the situation.

"Oh, so you want to do that so soon? Don't you think you're rushing into it?" The employee asked.

"I know it seems like I shouldn't be doing this too soon, but I _KNOW_ that this is meant to be…" Tatsuya said, an intense look in his face.

"Then, might I recommend a white gardenia as an alternative to a carnation?" The employee suggested, as she took out a white gardenia flower that was mounted on some baby's breath sprigs and tied up.

"This is perfect! Thank you!" Tatsuya said, as he paid for the boutonnière with his black card, and then he left the store.

He soon passed by the jewelry store, only to look at it for a few seconds before shaking it off and moving on to the house.

Meanwhile, inside, Hikaru and the others were teaching Bijin some specific dances for the ball.

"Remember, the male always leads in a waltz, no matter what the circumstances." Hikaru said, as Bijin was doing a practice dance with Kurokku.

"Always be elegant; always be ladylike!" Nabe-san said.

Bijin was having a good time, to say the least, and she was listening to the music from the night before, when she and Tatsuya, when he was still under the spell, were dancing the night away.

"I wonder what Tatsuya wants to tell me at the ball? It seems unlike him to be so secretive." Bijin said.

"Oh, I highly doubt he wants to spoil anything for you, so let's just drop the subject." Nabe-san said, with a sweat drop.

Taking Hikaru aside, Nabe-san asked, "Is the young master _really_ going to do this?"

"He is, I'm afraid. Not to say I'm not approving of this. I am very happy he's doing this. This topic was going to come up sooner or later when the spell broke, and I think it's only natural that this happens. It was because of Bijin-sama that we're humans once more." Hikaru said.

"I also approve. But to think he's planning on doing this now…" Nabe-san said.

"He's not going to do it right away. He thinks it might be best to tell her now, then go through with the actual event in the next few years." Hikaru said.

"So it seems…" Nabe-san said.

Tatsuya then came back home, and he soon said, "I'm back."

"Oh, young master, welcome home!" Several of the servants said.

"So, Bijin… Where is she right now?" Tatsuya said, as he handed one of the maids his tux and boutonnière to put away.

"Oh, she's having dancing lessons with Kurokku, Hikaru, and Nabe-san in the ballroom." Another one of the maids said.

"Alright," Tatsuya said. "I can't have her seeing what I'm up to."

"A surprise for the young miss?" The head maid inquired.

"Yes, but don't tell her I said anything." Tatsuya said, before he left into his bedroom.

Bijin was still dancing when she soon grew tired, as everyone noticed.

"I think Bijin-sama should stop; that's enough training for the ball." Nabe-san said.

"Good," Bijin said, breathing out loudly. "I need to eat something."

"Shall we get you something from the banquet hall?" Hikaru said, as he led Bijin into the banquet hall to eat something.

"Ooh, some pickled-plum rice balls would be absolutely perfect!" Bijin said, with an eager smile.

In his bedroom, Tatsuya opened a drawer, and looked inside it. Although what was inside was not seen, he smiled, knowing that he was about to take a big step.

* * *

The next day at school, Bijin was walking in the halls with Tatusya at her side, and everyone was looking at them as if they were some celebrity couple, but not in a good way.

"I can't believe that new kid knows Kiwamete-san to the point where honorifics aren't used. How do they know each other?" One boy said.

"Heh, I'll bet Sondaina is steaming with rage right now, because he was dead-set on asking that girl out, but now this new kid has beat him to the punch." Another boy said.

"There's a rumor going around that Bijin moved out of her house and into this guy's mansion. Her kooky father came along, too." Another boy stated.

Later, at his locker, several other girls approached Tatsuya, and then they all started bombarding him with love confessions and questions.

"Ōshitsuno-kun, you're not REALLY going out with Kiwamete-san, are you?" "Ōshitsuno-kun, please go out with me! Leave Kiwamete-san!" "Ōshitsuno-kun! You're so cute!" "I like you!" "It's not true, is it?! You're Kiwamete-san's boyfriend, and she's living in the same house as you; please say it isn't so!" "Leave that wench! She turned down Sondaina-sama!" "Ōshitsuno-kun!"

Getting annoyed with people badmouthing his girl, Tatsuya merely firmly, loudly, and clearly said, "Quiet, all of you."

The girls gasped, and the one in the lead said, "But you can't _really_ be Kiwamete-san's boyfriend, can you?"

"I am. And I'll be 100% honest with all of you: you girls are nothing compared to Bijin. She's not just beautiful, but she was able to see past my face to look at the real me, and because of that, I've been able to come here, to interact with people my age, and truly understand her. You might think she's strange and not worthy of me, but if anything, _you_ girls aren't worthy of me. And I'm not referring to looks; I'm referring to heart! You only approached me because of my face and my wealth, not me, and that's what I downright _loathe_ about people with that kind of attitude." Tatsuya said, getting his point across.

All of the girls started backing off and crying when they heard this; they were shocked that 'their prince charming' was disgusted by their affections.

Seeing Bijin walk by, Tatsuya left the crowd, and he said, "Bijin!"

"Tatsuya, ready to head home?" Bijin said. "Nabe-san and the others are planning on helping me pick out an outfit."

"Oh, I'd love to see you in such a wonderful dress!" Tatsuya said, as he and Bijin were leaving the school, and heading home.

'_I love her so much…' _Tatsuya said, as his face was tinting pink, as he looked at her smiling face.

As they soon made it back, Tatsuya kissed Bijin, and she kissed back, first surprised, then happy.

Once inside, Bijin was in her bedroom, looking at the many outfits and dresses she had to chose from for the upcoming ball.

"Oh, this one will be perfect!" Nabe-san said, as she extracted a pink ballroom dress. It was strapless, with a large, red bow in the back, acting as a sash, and covered in glitter.

"It's beautiful!" Bijin said, her eyes sparkling.

Outside the bedroom, Tatsuya was listening in on the conversation, and his mind was telling him, _'Not as beautiful as you, Bijin.'_

He soon went back into his bedroom, looked at the outfit for the ball, and then he glanced over to his desk, before going red in the face, and shaking his head.

* * *

A few days later, the night of the ball came. Every prestigious family in the area, with the obvious exception of Sondaina's, was there, all celebrating the 'return' of the Ōshitsuno family. However, everyone noticed that Bijin was there, next to Tatsuya, and holding his hand. No one recognized her from any high-class family, but due to her natural beauty, they did not care.

Tatsuya made a quick glance to his pants pocket for his tux, and he soon had a determined look on his face.

"Tatsuya-sama, I see you have a date. When you were just a little kid, you always thought girls were cootie-coated." One older gentleman said.

"That was over thirteen years ago, sir. But now I've matured, and fallen in love." Tatsuya said, as he hugged Bijin by the shoulder, causing her to blush.

"I see, and who is this lovely young lady?" Another man said, as he came and scanned Bijin.

Bijin curtsied and she said, "My name is Kiwamete Bijin, age sixteen."

"Kiwamete… I've never heard that family name." One more man said.

"Oh, she's not from any high-class family, but for me, that's irrelevant when it comes to finding love, isn't it?" Tatsuya said, in Bijin's defense.

"I see…" The second man said, giving Bijin a suspicious look.

They then left, either put-off by Bijin's humble background, or Tatsuya's "taste" in girls.

"Don't worry, Bijin," Tatsuya said. "I'll make sure they respect you."

Bijin blushed, seeing Tatsuya act more and more like a prince to her on a daily basis.

Hissha was a little uncomfortable with the situation, and he stayed out of sight for most of it, and he was uncertain of what people would think of an author without any prestigious background, but with an angelic-faced daughter.

"I don't see what Tatsuya-sama sees in that girl. Sure, her name isn't "Bijin" for nothing, and it certainly fits, but she's not even wealthy." A woman said, in a crowd.

"Honestly, why didn't he choose my daughter instead of some poor girl?" Another gentleman said.

"He loves her; isn't that enough?" Another woman said.

"Not if she hasn't the money to go with it!" Another man said.

Hissha overheard the whole thing, and then he decided to inform Tatsuya of what he had heard.

"They said what?" Tatsuya growled, while Bijin was mingling with some of the other girls.

"Yeah, they're not too happy about your relationship." Hissha said.

"I might as well get on with it and make the announcement…" Tatsuya said, not liking how others were treating Bijin.

"Kiwamete-san, you're so lucky to have captured Ōshitsuno-sama's heart." One of the girls said.

"Thank you, but… How do I know you only approached me out of genuine interest to get to know me better and not to discourage me from loving Tatsuya?" Bijin honestly asked.

"Because _we_ all have arranged engagements, so we're very jealous. Tatsuya chose you for who you are, not your face, and doesn't even give two cents about your background." One of the girls said, putting her hands on Bijin's shoulders.

"Believe us, if we had the option to, we would have chosen our betrotheds on our own free will, not put up with the stupid marriage arrangements our parents put us through." Another girl said.

"Thank you…" Bijin said, feeling a lot better.

The lights dimmed, and then Bijin gasped a little bit, thinking, _'Oh, snap, not a slow dance!'_

"Great… A slow dance…" Another girl complained.

"Kiwamete-san, we'll give you our cell phone numbers later so we can chat whenever we want, and if you ever need help on how to be a proper oujo-san, you can call us." The last of the girls said.

"Thank you… _SO much_." Bijin said, smiling.

"Well, back to our "fiancés" girls?" The leader of the group said.

Everyone nodded, and then they all went back to their dates to dance.

Tatsuya then touched Bijin's shoulder and then they got into a waltzing position to dance together. They were in the center of the ballroom, with a spotlight on them, and dancing together. It was the same song that was being played during their first formal dance together; the night that the curse was lifted.

"They're so beautiful together." One of the girls from earlier said.

"Her name doesn't mean "beauty" for nothing, ladies." The girls' leader said.

After the slow dance was over, Tatsuya led Bijin over to a platform that was built in. It rose up as they stepped on it, and Bijin was surprised at this technology.

Taking out a microphone, Tatsuya said, "I would like to thank you all for taking time out of you schedules to come see the "renaissance" of the Ōshitsuno family. As you know, we suddenly disappeared ten years ago. Truth is, what _really happened_ was something you might never believe. If you all are aware of the story of "Beauty And The Beast", that is _exactly_ what happened to me."

Everyone murmured and started chatting and talking about it out of disbelief.

"Back when I was only seven, I turned away an old woman who was out in the harsh cold, and offered me a rose in exchange for shelter for the night. I was, regrettably, selfish enough to turn her down. In turn, she revealed herself as an enchantress, and cursed me, and all of the servants in the mansion to become inanimate objects. I was literally bound to the mansion, and I refused to leave, as I feared my monstrous appearance would scare anyone to death. I was almost correct, but ten years later, in the past few weeks, was when I soon found my chance to break the spell." Tatsuya said.

A spotlight then soon shined on Hissha, and then Tatsuya continued, "This older gentleman, Hissha-san, soon stumbled upon the mansion, and being the selfish monster I was, I was mean enough of lock him in the tower. Hours later, was when I met the love of my life: his daughter, Bijin."

He gestured to Bijin, who blushed, and smiled a little bit, as she was applauded.

"I was cruel enough not to think about Hissha's health when she came, and she demanded I release him. That was when we made a deal: she would stay here in his place, and he would go free; the catch was that she was confined to the mansion for all time. However, I allowed her access to every… Well, almost every room in the building. She could see past my looks, and it was after I saved her from some wolves that we started coming to an understanding." Tatsuya said, as he soon lowered his head in shame.

Everyone was murmuring again, and Tatsuya smiled, knowing Bijin would not care what others would say about him.

"After a few more days, I found myself completely and utterly in love with Bijin, and I was in denial she would feel the same about me. Once she learned her father was ill, I had to let her go, out of love. However, she came back after the mansion was stormed by some of the townsfolk, including one particular boy who, quote on quote, "had the hots for Bijin", but not in the right way. He was conceited, arrogant, and only saw Bijin as another one of his trophies. Now, I'm sure you've noticed, but the Sondaina family is not here; I deliberately left them off the guest list, because it was the Sondaina family's son that tried to kill me while I was still in my yaju form, still under the spell." Tatsuya said.

Everyone gasped, and they all started to believe Tatsuya about what had happened to him.

"That same night, Bijin came back, and she soon returned my love, thus breaking the spell in the nick of time. I soon turned back to normal, Bijin moved in with me, and life was good. And now, I'm announcing something tonight, that I want all of you to hear, see, and accept, no matter what your opinions are." Tatsuya said.

He turned to Bijin, took her left hand, and he said, "Bijin, I know we have only known each other for a few weeks, but its because of our mutual love that this can happen today. Because you were the one that broke the spell, because you could see past my face… I _know_ for a fact that the two of us are meant to be…"

He got down on his knee, took out a small box, and then he said, "Once we graduate high school… Once we can truly love each other in peace with no one's jealousy, hatred, or anger bother us…"

'_He… Can't be…' _Bijin thought, as she almost knew where he was going with this.

Letting go of her hand, Tatsuya opened the box, revealing a diamond ring, and he asked, "Bijin… Once all of that is accomplished… Will you marry me?"

Bijin gasped, covering her mouth, and crying tears of joy, she nodded, and said, "I will! Yes, I will!"

Everyone applauded, and Hissha whistled, as Tatsuya soon slipped the ring onto Bijin's left ring finger, and then they kissed passionately, while everyone was cheering for them.

* * *

Four years later, Bijin and Tatsuya were dressed in white, and were at an altar with a priest; Bijin was in a white wedding dress, while Tatsuya was in a white tuxedo. Bijin was twenty years old while Tatsuya was twenty-one, and they were at their wedding together.

Hissha was in the audience, very happy for his daughter, and everyone else, minus Sondaina, was there, too, celebrating such an amazing day for Bijin.

"So by the power vested in me… I now pronounce you husband and wife." The priest said.

Bijin and Tatsuya smiled at each other, and then they shared their wedding kiss, with Tatsuya dipping her down low, and then they soon ran out of the church, holding hands, and they were soon in the car that was about to drive them off on their honeymoon. However, Bijin stood up, and she threw the bouquet to the lead girl of the group that was encouraging Bijin at the ball the day that Tatsuya proposed.

"Congrats, Bijin!" Hissha shouted, as he soon pumped his fist in joy of his daughter's happiness, and his new son-in-law.

"Thank you, Dad!" Bijin said, as she soon kissed Tatsuya once more, and they soon smiled together.

_Three years into their marriage, they had a beautiful daughter that they named "Kanari", which means "pretty". She had the same black hair and green eyes as her father, but in terms of intelligence and virtues, she took after her mother. As a little girl, Bijin and Tatsuya told her THEIR story of Beauty And The Beast, as her favorite bedtime story. Kanari soon became hopeful that she may find HER prince charming in almost the same manner as her parents, but instead of being a romantic, she knew that fate would lead her to her prince, no matter what the process._

_THE END_


End file.
